They were forced to hand one son over to the Israeli army in return for another. Eight months later he was dead in prison

They were forced to hand one son over to the Israeli army in return for another. Eight months later, he was dead in prison

Ahmad Tazaza’s parents live in anguish, haunted by the sorrow of their son’s passing in August 2025 at Megiddo prison, a place infamous for its harsh conditions. The loss has left them burdened with guilt, as they recall the exchange that led to his fate.

Ahmad, a 20-year-old in good health with no prior medical issues, was surrendered to Israeli authorities in January 2025 in the occupied West Bank. His family’s decision to hand him over came after weeks of pressure from security forces who had repeatedly raided their home in Qabatiya, a northern West Bank town, and subjected them to intimidation.

The parents remain uncertain about why Ahmad, the youngest of three brothers, was targeted. However, his detention mirrored the experiences of countless young Palestinians. He was held as an administrative detainee, a method allowing indefinite imprisonment without formal charges, trial, or legal representation.

“They smashed the house and destroyed everything,” said Najah Abdul Qader, Ahmad’s mother, in an interview with Middle East Eye. “He was not at home; he was working at the market and sleeping there that night. They took his brother and his father. In the morning, they released them and said, ‘We want him.'”

Israeli soldiers had previously warned Qader of a potential attack on their home if Ahmad did not surrender. She recounted how he had narrowly avoided capture before by leaping from a vehicle as it was crushed by a bulldozer. After failing to locate him, forces detained his brother again, prompting the family to comply with the demand for a trade.

“They said: ‘We will not release him until you bring your [other] son,'” recalled Saeed Tazaza, Ahmad’s father. “His brother is married with two children. So we told Ahmad we wanted to see him. We caught him and took him.”

Accompanied by their other son, Ahmad’s parents delivered him to the Salem checkpoint near Jenin. “He looked at us and I knew he would not return,” Qader said. “I felt he was not coming back when he turned his face and walked away.”

Initially, the parents believed they had spared Ahmad from further danger. “I handed my son over because I was afraid for him,” his father explained. “I was afraid he would die. We were forced, and we handed him over. What could we do? This is our fate.”

Qader also shared her son’s fear of imprisonment. “He said to me, ‘Mum, they torture people in prison.’ I told him, ‘Let them torture you, but not kill you, not shoot you.’ Today in the street they shoot a person who has done nothing.”

Ahmad died at 21 on 3 August 2025, according to a post-mortem report reviewed by Middle East Eye. The document, dated 8 August, was authored by a doctor affiliated with Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), an organization that sends observers to monitor Palestinian prisoner autopsies when allowed by Israeli authorities.

The report stated that Ahmad was “reported to be healthy” at the time of his detention. His prison records, however, noted symptoms like diarrhoea, scabies, and a sore throat in the days leading up to his death. On 2 August, an on-call physician observed bloodstains on his trousers during a clinic visit.

“During the clinic visit, Mr Tazaza requested to go to the toilet and later collapsed to the floor, losing consciousness and vital signs. Resuscitation attempts were initiated, but despite intubation and CPR, he was pronounced dead,” the report detailed.

Medical findings suggested possible signs of a severe blood cancer, such as acute leukaemia or aggressive lymphoma, though no evidence of “sudden death causes” was found. Despite this, the parents have yet to see Ahmad’s body, which remains in Israeli custody. Without direct access to him during his eight-month imprisonment, they relied on accounts from fellow detainees and a Red Cross liaison officer to confirm his death.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has not been granted access to Palestinians in the occupied territories, leaving the family to question the official narrative. “I handed my son to my enemy with my own hands,” Qader lamented. “But that’s it. We wanted to protect him.”