Palestinian woman declared dead found alive in Israeli detention months later

A Palestinian woman from Gaza who was confirmed dead in early January 2024 has been revealed to be alive in Israeli detention. 

Bisan Fadl Muhammad Fayyad was first believed to have died while in detention after her family received a body said to be hers from Israeli authorities, alongside her clothes and official ID. 

Months after her burial, on 21 March 2025, her family received a call announcing that she was alive in Israeli custody, the Palestinian Center for the Missing and Forcibly Disappeared (PCMFD) reported on Monday.

Her family has since attempted to find out more about her detention condition.

On Sunday, Israeli authorities confirmed that Fayyad was still alive. However, she is suffering from serious health issue after a spinal injury that has rendered her partially paralysed. 

The PCMFD stressed in its statement that this incident "embodies one aspect of the greater tragedy experienced by thousands of missing and forcibly disappeared Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

"Their families are denied the most basic right to know the fate of their sons and daughters, and live between despair and hope, loss and waiting."

The human rights centre has urged international pressure on Israel to "reveal the fate of detainee Fayyad, ensure her release and provide her with appropriate treatment," as well as disclosing information about all forcibly disappeared detainees - whether alive or killed during detention.

Read more: Palestinian woman declared dead found alive in Israeli detention months later