'Israel' detained over 8100 Palestinians in West Bank since Oct. 7
3 Min Read
Palestinian organizations focusing on detainees' rights report a significant increase in the number of Palestinians detained by Israeli occupation forces since October 7.
-
Israeli occupation soldiers arrest a Palestinian woman in the village of Ya’bad near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin, Palestine, May 12, 2020. (AFP)
The Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) reported that the total number of detained Palestinians from the West Bank and al-Quds since October 7 is estimated at 8,100, including those who were detained from their homes, at military checkpoints, those who surrendered under pressure, and those taken as hostages.
In a joint statement, the two bodies indicated that Israeli occupation forces launched a widespread campaign of arrests, targeting at least 15 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank from Saturday evening until Sunday morning. Among those arrested were former female detainees Layan Nasser and Layan Kaid, a graduate student at Birzeit University, in addition to a child and other former detainees.
The arrests took place in al-Khalil, al-Quds, Ramallah, Beit Lahm, and Jenin.
Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out extensive raids accompanied by brutal beatings, threats against the detainees and their families, direct shooting with the intention of killing, as well as widespread destruction and sabotage of Palestinian homes.
Last week, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the PPS, and the Ramallah-based Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer), reported that the Israeli occupation has detained 258 women, including women from the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 and women from Gaza detained in the West Bank. More than 500 minors were also held throughout the said period.
The detainees associations reported that 64 journalists had been detained, with 43 still in prison and 23 placed under administrative detention without indictment or trial. 4,430 administrative detention orders were issued against Palestinians, including new and renewed orders for children and women.
They also explained that the current detention campaigns are accompanied by an increase in crimes and breaches, including torture, severe beatings, and threats against detainees and their family members.
Medical neglect, torture killed 2 Palestinian detainees: Israeli media
On March 19, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published the forensic findings regarding two Palestinian detainees who were martyred in Israeli prisons following Operation al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, 2023.
According to the outlet, 21-year-old administrative detainee Mohammad al-Sabbar was martyred in February due to Israeli medical neglect, as he had been suffering from a severe illness without receiving adequate medical attention.
Meanwhile, bruises found on the body of Abdulrahman al-Bahsh, 23, indicate possible torture he was subjected to during his time in Israeli prisons.
Al-Sabbar had been detained since May 2022 and had been denied medical treatment in the Israeli prison despite suffering from stomach- and intestines-related health issues, requiring specialized treatment and specific dietary needs.
Palestinian organizations focusing on detainees' rights have accused "Israel" of committing two crimes against al-Sabbar; his continued arbitrary detention under a "secret file" pretext and a medical crime involving denial of treatment. He was the eighth detainee to die in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023.
Abdulrahman al-Bahsh, from Nablus, was martyred in the Israeli "Megiddo" prison, where he had been detained since May 31, 2022, with a 35-month sentence. He was the first detainee to die in Israeli prisons in 2024.
