Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli jail

A Palestinian prisoner has died in an Israeli jail, the Palestinian Detainees Affairs Commission said Wednesday. 

Khaled Shawish is now the ninth Palestinian prisoner to die in Israeli custody in just under five months. The cause of death was not immediately clear. 

According to Palestinian and Israeli reports, some of the deaths were caused by torture and beatings inflicted on prisoners by Israeli officers. 

In November, Amnesty International warned that Palestinian prisoners were facing "inhuman and degrading treatment" since 7 October, while Israeli authorities "failed to investigate incidents of torture and death in custody".

Originally from the Far'a refugee camp near Tubas, Shawish was jailed in 2007 and has been serving 11 life sentences since, according to the detainees commission. 

The 53-year-old suffered from chronic diseases and was physically disabled, the commission added. 

The Israeli prison service said in a short statement that a 53-year-old prisoner died on Wednesday without elaborating further. 

It added that another prisoner was transferred to hospital after the deterioration of his health.