Israel Kills 17-Year-Old Palestinian, World’s Youngest Freed Detainee
(MENAFN) A 17-year-old Palestinian youth, once recognized as the world’s youngest former detainee, was fatally struck Saturday in an Israeli air raid targeting central Gaza, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office reported.
Youssef al-Zuq lost his life when an Israeli drone hit his family’s apartment on Al-Thawra Street in Gaza City during the early morning hours, the office said in an official statement.
Born inside an Israeli prison in 2008, Youssef’s birth occurred after his mother, Fatima al-Zuq, was apprehended while pregnant the previous year. She had been traveling out of Gaza for medical care when detained by Israeli authorities.
Fatima discovered her pregnancy during incarceration and gave birth while behind bars. She endured nearly two years raising Youssef in the prison’s harsh environment, suffering from medical neglect, malnutrition, and inadequate infant care, according to earlier human rights reports.
The mother and child were freed in 2009 under a prisoner exchange deal, where Israel released 19 Palestinian women in return for proof—via a videotape—that Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was alive in Hamas captivity. Shalit’s eventual release came through a larger swap in 2011.
Saturday’s deadly strike that claimed Youssef’s life was one of several lethal Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn. Medical officials report at least 66 Palestinians, including women and children, have been killed, with many more wounded.
Despite global demands for a ceasefire, the Israeli military continues its severe offensive against Gaza following the outbreak of conflict on October 7, 2023, resulting in over 57,800 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children.
This unrelenting bombardment has devastated the Gaza Strip, triggering widespread food shortages and outbreaks of disease.
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
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