Bethlehem/PNN/

The Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) said that Israeli authorities are escalating their targeting of women through systematic and ongoing arrest campaigns.

In a statement, the PPS said the number of female prisoners has risen to 90 during April, noting that this level had previously been recorded only at the height of mass arrests in the early stages of the war.

It explained that most of the detainees are held in Damon Prison, including two minors, a pregnant woman in her third month, 25 administrative detainees, three journalists, two cancer patients, and two women detained before the outbreak of the war.

The PPS emphasized that the female prisoners face harsh detention conditions, including starvation, deprivation, medical neglect, and abuse, in addition to solitary confinement and assaults, including the policy of strip searches.

He pointed out that most arrests are carried out under the pretext of "incitement," and that the number of women arrested since the start of the war has exceeded 700, including in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and within the 1948 territories, with no accurate statistics available for arrests in Gaza.

He added that this escalation comes during one of the bloodiest periods for Palestinian women, amidst ongoing grave violations, including physical and sexual assaults and the detention of women as hostages to pressure their families.