An Israeli judge has ruled that Palestinian teenager Walid Ahmad was starved while in prison before his death, but closed the investigation after determining the exact cause of death could not be established. The newly unsealed decision found clear evidence of starvation, yet concluded there was insufficient proof to link his condition directly to a criminal act.

Ahmad, 17, died in March 2025 after spending six months in Megiddo prison. He had been arrested in September 2024 during a pre-dawn raid at his home in the occupied West Bank town of Silwad, accused of throwing stones at soldiers. Palestinian officials said he was the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention.

An autopsy did not identify a single definitive cause of death, though an Israeli doctor who observed the procedure reported that starvation was likely the leading factor. The doctor noted Ahmad suffered from extreme malnutrition and showed signs of scabies. Despite these findings, the judge concluded that the evidence did not prove a direct causal link between his physical condition and his death, and ordered the investigation closed.