Palestinian Islamic Jihad accuses PA of torturing member to death in custody

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement issued a statement Sunday accusing the Palestinian Authority (PA) of torturing one of its members to death while in custody in Ramallah.

In the statement, the group announced the death of Ahmed Abu Al-Najaj (also known as Al-Safouri), a member of the Jenin Battalion, claiming he died as a result of torture inside a PA detention facility. Abu Al-Najaj had previously spent five years in 'Israeli' prisons and was detained by Palestinian security forces at the start of Israeli Occupation’s ongoing aggression in Gaza.

PIJ strongly condemned the "continued security coordination" between the PA and 'Israeli' forces, accusing the PA of targeting resistance fighters and mistreating detainees, even as Palestinians in Gaza face a devastating humanitarian crisis marked by widespread hunger and relentless 'Israeli' bombardment.

The group also alleged that the PA had refused to hand over Abu Al-Najaj’s body to his family or allow an independent autopsy. The PA has reportedly claimed the detainee took his own life; an assertion rejected by PIJ and the family of the deceased.

“This crime only serves the goals of the Israeli enemy and reveals how far the security apparatus in Ramallah has gone in its betrayal of the people,” the statement read.

PIJ called for the immediate release of all political detainees and resistance fighters held by the PA and urged Palestinian political factions and leaders to intervene to prevent internal strife and avoid fueling tensions that could benefit Israeli Occupation.

The incident comes amid a broader Israeli Occupation military offensive across Gaza and the occupied West Bank, with repeated reports of escalating violence, arrests, and settlement expansion.

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