Over 11,800 detained in West Bank since October 2023: Report
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Since the onset of the war on Gaza, more than 11,800 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds.
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Israeli soldiers arrest a blindfolded Palestinian during an army raid in Tubas, West Bank, on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (AP)
Palestinian detainee organizations have released a detailed report exposing the alarming scale of arrests and rights abuses carried out by Israeli forces in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds since October 7, 2023. The findings paint a harrowing picture of widespread detentions, violent repression, and systemic violations targeting Palestinians.
Since the onset of the war on Gaza, more than 11,800 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds. Among them are 435 women, including some from Gaza and areas occupied in 1948, and 775 children.
Journalists have also been heavily targeted, with 136 arrests reported. Of these, 59 journalists remain in detention, including six women and 32 Palestinians from Gaza.
While these figures are shocking, they exclude data from Gaza itself, where Israeli authorities have withheld detailed information. Reports estimate that around 4,500 Palestinians have been arrested in Gaza during the same period.
Read more: Torture in Israeli prisons: Strapped to beds, stripped of clothes
Mass arrests
A surge in administrative detention orders has accompanied these mass arrests, with over 10,000 issued since October 2023. Administrative detention, a controversial practice allowing individuals to be detained without charge or trial, has been applied to women and children, sparking widespread condemnation from human rights advocates.
Detention campaigns have reportedly been marked by severe violations, including physical abuse, humiliation, and threats directed at detainees and their families. In many cases, detainees' homes have been vandalized, valuables such as vehicles and money confiscated, and infrastructure in refugee camps, particularly in Jenin and Tulkarem, systematically destroyed.
There have also been accusations of field executions carried out by Israeli forces, adding to the brutality of these operations.
Read more: HRW: 'Israel' executes Palestinians in West Bank unlawfully
Justice Denied
The report highlights a grim toll on detainees, with 45 Palestinians dying in Israeli prisons and concentration camps since October 2023.
Among these are 27 detainees from Gaza, though their identities and causes of death remain undisclosed. Additionally, the remains of 43 detainees have been withheld by Israeli authorities, exacerbating the anguish faced by families seeking closure.
Currently, 10,200 Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons, a dramatic increase from the pre-genocide total of 5,250. Among those detained are 3,443 individuals under administrative detention, including 100 children and 32 women.
In Damon Prison alone, 96 women are being held, four of whom are from Gaza. Reports indicate that 270 children are also being held in solitary confinement, further underscoring the deteriorating conditions faced by detainees.
Read more: Gaza Health demands 'Israel' provide data on 88 martyrs' bodies
Palestinian detainee advocacy groups, including the Commission of Detainees' Affairs, the Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club, and the Addameer Association for Human Rights, have condemned these actions as blatant violations of international law.
Meanwhile, criticism has intensified following the Israeli regime's recent policy shift, which exempts Israeli settlers from administrative detention while continuing to apply this practice to Palestinians, including children and women, without charges or trials.
Racist Policies
On Friday, the head of the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs Qaddura Fares issued a statement criticizing the Israeli regime's recent decision to cancel the policy of administrative detention for Israeli settlers.
"Israel is a fascist racist state, established on hatred and organized crime, that threatens human and social values with its extremist policies. The world’s silence towards the killing and destruction of the Palestinian people, and the torture and abuse of its detainees will eventually find itself facing a regime of Zionist gangs that threatens the global and human stability," Fares said.
Fares criticized Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz for removing the "symbolic restrictions" imposed on settlers through administrative detention.
This decision, justified under claims of protecting settlements from alleged Palestinian threats, was supported by fascist Israeli figures like Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who described it as a "correction of an injustice," and Deputy Abraham Boroun, who hailed it as an act of "support for settlers."
