A recent report revealed that the Israeli occupation forces have detained more than 5,000 Palestinians since the beginning of this year. This count includes 83 women and 678 children. The Palestinian Prisoners Club, which released the report, detailed that the number of administrative detention orders since the start of the year amounted to 2,350, of which 1,245 were new and 1,105 were renewals.
The club emphasized that the Israeli forces have continued their systematic policies of abuse and violations against detainees and their families. One method, termed “collective punishment,” stands out as a primary tactic employed by the Israeli authorities, aiming to enforce further control and oversight. This collective punishment often involves significant damage to the homes of detainees, pointing to a strategic intent to cause widespread harm and exact revenge.
Administrative Detention
The report highlights the continued use of administrative detention as a tool to suppress any rising resistance. In July alone, there were 370 such orders, followed by 362 in August. Such high numbers, unseen for years, have affected various groups, including women, children, the elderly, the ill, wounded individuals, and the relatives of detainees and martyrs. Former detainees are the most targeted. The report also shed light on prisoners like Kayed Al-Fasfos and Sultan Khallouf, who have been on a hunger strike for 40 days in protest of their administrative detention. They have been previously targeted by arrests and have participated in earlier hunger strikes.
Detainees’ Plight
The increasing number of arrests has worsened the conditions for prisoners in Israeli jails due to overcrowding and a lack of basic necessities for new detainees. This has exacerbated the suffering of prisoners, especially those who are injured, ill, or elderly and require constant medical care. Currently, there are approximately 5,200 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including 36 women and around 170 children. Of these, 1,264 are administrative detainees, including 20 children and four women identified as Raghd Al-Fani, Samah Awad, Hanan Al-Barghouthi, and Fatima Abu Shalal.
