The document highlights a broader Israeli policy of enforced disappearances, particularly targeting civilians from Gaza.
Palestine Urges Global Action Over Abuses in Israeli Detention Centers. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine has released a comprehensive factsheet detailing the dire and deteriorating conditions faced by Palestinian detainees in Israeli detention centers, highlighting widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
According to the report, Israel, described as the illegal occupying Power, has escalated its policies of mass arbitrary detention, particularly since the beginning of what the Ministry terms a “genocidal war” against the Palestinian people. Over 16,400 Palestinians have been arrested since 7 October 2023, including more than 1,200 children, 500 women, and 170 journalists. Despite the release of some detainees, the majority remain in custody, with 80% reportedly held under administrative detention without charge or trial.
The factsheet outlines systematic abuses committed against the 9,900 Palestinians currently held in Israeli detention facilities. These include 400 children, 29 women, and 51 journalists. Among them are more than 3,498 individuals held under administrative detention, a practice that the Ministry characterizes as arbitrary and retaliatory. The document also notes the application of the “Unlawful Combatants Law,” which allows for the detention of Palestinians from Gaza without judicial oversight.
The report alleges the Israeli authorities have intensified collective punishment against detainees, with a documented rise in solitary confinement, the denial of access to basic hygiene, medical neglect, and restrictions on visits from family members and legal counsel. Detainees reportedly face violent daily assaults, deliberate starvation, and the confiscation of personal belongings, including essential items like clothing and blankets.
Since the start of the war, 63 detainees have reportedly died in Israeli custody due to torture, violent assaults, or medical negligence. The most recent deaths include 17-year-old Walid Khaled Abdullah Ahmed and 62-year-old Ali Al-Batsh. According to the factsheet, 95% of detainees have experienced torture, ranging from physical and psychological abuse to sexual violence. The findings cite the use of forced nudity, genital mutilation, and rape, not only against women but also against men. These allegations have been corroborated in part by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which has documented Israel’s use of sexual violence as a method of collective punishment and intimidation.
The document highlights a broader Israeli policy of enforced disappearances, particularly targeting civilians from Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians — including children, women, elderly persons, and humanitarian workers — have reportedly been abducted without notice. These individuals are said to be stripped, blindfolded, and taken to undisclosed locations for interrogation, often under harsh and degrading conditions. In many cases, even international humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC have been denied access to detainees, fueling fears of systematic abuse and the concealment of mass violations.
The Ministry’s report calls attention to the psychological toll on detainees and their families, especially those under administrative detention who are held indefinitely without knowing the reason for their detention or the potential length of their incarceration. With over one million Palestinians detained since 1967 — a figure representing nearly half the Palestinian population and 60% of the male demographic — the Ministry asserts that Israel’s detention practices constitute a core mechanism of its occupation and colonial control over the Palestinian people.
International human rights organizations and legal observers have repeatedly condemned Israel’s use of administrative detention, calling for its abolition and demanding accountability for violations against detainees. The factsheet concludes by urging immediate international intervention to halt what it terms as widespread and systematic crimes against the Palestinian population in Israeli custody.
