Nearly 10,000 Palestinian detainees languish in Israeli prisons: report

The number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons is estimated at around 9,900, Palestinian organisations specialising in prisoner affairs said in a report.

The report by the governmental Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, and the non-governmental Al-Dameer Foundation for Human Rights said on Saturday the number of prisoners in Israeli prisons at the beginning of August includes 3,432 administrative detainees, at least 250 children, and 86 women — 23 of whom are administrative detainees.

Administrative detention is Israeli military imprisonment without charge, lasting six months, that is renewable.

The report noted that detainees classified by the Israeli prison administration from Gaza as "unlawful combatants" recognised by the Israeli prison administration is 1,584, and that number does not include all Gaza detainees, especially those in camps run by the Israeli army.

The report tracked the number of those arrested by Israel in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, some of whom were later released, coinciding with the onslaught against Gaza that began October 7.

It stated that the number of arrests exceeded 9,920, including about 345 women and 690 children.

Among those detained after October 7 were 93 journalists who were arrested, 55 of whom remain in detention, including six female journalists, at least 16 journalists from Gaza whose identities have been confirmed, and 17 under administrative detention.

The report said since the start of Israel's war, approximately 7,500 administrative detention orders have been issued, including new and renewed orders, some of which target children and women.

The ongoing arrest campaigns are accompanied by escalating crimes and violations, including brutal beatings, threats against detainees and their families, and the destruction of homes and property, the report added.

It noted that at least 20 prisoners whose identities were disclosed have died, in addition to dozens of Gaza detainees whose identities and circumstances of death have not been revealed by the occupation, along with dozens who were subjected to field executions.