1,000 Palestinian workers from Gaza missing: NGOs

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
2 May 2024 00:16
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The missing Palestinian workers were working in the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories when "Israel" began its brutal aggression on Gaza.

Palestinian workers from Gaza, whom Israeli occupation authorities had detained after October 7, were released to Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing on November 3, 2023, after spending weeks in incommunicado detention. (AP)

Palestinian human rights groups report a lack of information regarding the whereabouts and status of approximately 1,000 Palestinian workers from Gaza. These individuals were working in the 1948 occupied Palestinian territories when "Israel" began its brutal aggression on Gaza.

In a joint statement released on Wednesday, the Commission for Detainee’s Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, and the Ramallah-based Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Addameer) disclosed that around 10,300 Palestinian workers from Gaza were present in the occupied Palestinian territories before October 7.

The statement added that “3,200 of them [workers] were released at the Kerem Shalom [Karem Abu Salem] crossing at the beginning of November 2023 from the detention centers where they were being held, some still wearing zip ties on their wrists bearing numbers.”

“Approximately 6,441 workers were deported to the West Bank, and approximately 1,000 workers remain missing in light of the ongoing crime of forced disappearance against Gaza detainees,” it stressed.

These institutions stated that "Israel" has declined to reveal the location or provide any information regarding the well-being of these individuals. The only information provided by "Israel" is that there are two military camps for Gaza detainees: one near Beer al-Sabe and another near al-Quds.

9,500 Palestinian detainees including women and children

On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners' Day, observed annually on April 17, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the PPS, and Addameer reported that the Israeli occupation has detained 9,500 Palestinians, including 3,660 administrative detainees, 56 journalists, at least 80 women, more than 200 children, and 17 members of the Legislative Council.

According to information provided by relevant institutions, 24 children from Gaza are currently held in prisons, constituting a portion of the overall number of detained children in Megiddo Prison.

These institutions have highlighted a concerning discrepancy, noting that despite numerous reports, there is a lack of confirmed information regarding the presence of additional children from the Gaza Strip in these facilities. This ambiguity persists amid ongoing allegations against "Israel" of forced disappearances.

They also stressed that the number of sick Palestinian detainees in the occupation's prisons has increased significantly after October 7th, and many of them have experienced a significant deterioration in their health due to the policy of torture and medical neglect.

In a related context, the institutions indicated that the Israeli occupation had classified more than 849 detainees "under the internment of unlawful combatant law."