Ramallah, occupied West Bank – In the wake of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, the number of Palestinians in Israeli custody has doubled, reaching over 10,000 people, according to Palestinian officials. In addition to the 1,070 Palestinians arrested during overnight army raids in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, Israel has also detained around 4,000 Gaza laborers who were working in Israel and is holding them in military bases. The mistreatment and dire conditions experienced by these detainees have been highlighted by Palestinian lawyers and officials.
Qadura Fares, head of the Palestinian Authority’s Commission for Detainees’ Affairs, described the recent developments as “unprecedented” and “dangerous”. Detainees are reportedly deprived of food, water, and access to their medication, while prison clinics have been shut down and prisoners have been prevented from going to hospitals and external clinics, even if they have chronic illnesses or require continuous treatment. Physical attacks and degrading treatment have also been reported, with prisoners being assaulted, limbs broken, and subjected to naked and humiliating group searches.
Approximately 6,000 Palestinians are currently imprisoned in Israeli jails and detention centers, with most of them held in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Israeli army has escalated its arrest rate, with 120 Palestinians being detained on a daily basis since October 7, compared to the average of 15-20 during periods of “calm”. The arrests occur through surprise military raids on Palestinian homes, involving humiliating searches and destruction of property.
According to Sahar Francis, head of the Ramallah-based Addameer prisoners’ rights group, Palestinians held in Israeli prisons are isolated from the world, with no contact with their families, no family visits, limited lawyer visits, and restricted access to basic supplies.
Human rights groups have criticized Israel’s use of different legal pretexts to justify the indefinite detention of Palestinians. Palestinians from Gaza who were arrested inside Israel are detained under the “Unlawful Combatants Law”, which allows authorities to hold them without effective judicial review. Administrative detention, which allows Israel to detain Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem indefinitely based on “secret evidence”, is also being widely used. Addameer has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit the detainees, particularly those held in military camps.
Since the start of the conflict, at least 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, while in Gaza, the retaliatory bombardment has claimed the lives of at least 4,137 Palestinians, including 1,524 children.
