Bethlehem / PNN /

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed today that 27 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip died or were killed in mysterious conditions while in custody at the Israeli Sde Teiman base, the Anatot base in Jerusalem, or during investigations in other facilities within the 1948 Territories.

According to the investigation conducted by the newspaper, the Israeli occupation army has not provided any information regarding the circumstances of their demise.

The newspaper pointed out that the arrest of citizens from the Gaza Strip was carried out under the Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows Israel to "imprison anyone without trial if they engage in hostile activities against the state, and are not defined as prisoners of war in Israel."

Since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, the occupation government has exploited the law to solidify the crime of forced disappearance against Gaza detainees.

According to information provided by the Israeli Prison Administration to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the occupation authorities are currently detaining about 793 citizens from Gaza under this law, in addition to several hundred others held under criminal procedures, and others still in custody by the army.

In response to the reports published by the Hebrew media on this matter, the head of the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Authority, Qaddura Fares, stated, "Reports by the Hebrew media about the martyrdom of 27 detainees from the Gaza Strip in detention centers and prisons is a preliminary result of the crime of forced disappearance practiced by the occupation state against detainees from the southern provinces."

Fares added in a press statement, "This tragedy represents the prelude to the announcement of other heinous crimes committed by the occupation state against detainees in Gaza over five consecutive months. Their enforced disappearance was essentially aimed at committing numerous premeditated crimes. All institutions of the occupation state, including its political, security, and military system, are involved."

Fares stated that the silence of the international community has encouraged the Israeli occupation to persist in committing many crimes that are still ongoing.

For it’s part The Prisoners' Society stated that, in light of information revealed by the Israeli media confirming the martyrdom of 27 detainees from Gaza in the occupation camps, this indicates the presence of more martyrs among them. All Gaza detainees are exposed to systematic execution and intentional killing in the occupation camps, “as we warned since the beginning of the aggression after October 7th.”

In a statement, the Prisoners' Society emphasized that "the appeals and demands we addressed to all international institutions at various levels to stop this crime fell on deaf ears. After 153 days of aggression, the occupation refuses to disclose any information about Gaza detainees," noting that the major challenge facing human rights organizations specialized in prisoners' affairs is the issue of Gaza detainees.

It pointed out that the available data about Gaza detainees is scant, including what was published by the occupation prisons administration at the end of last February regarding the detention of 793 Gaza detainees after October 7th, categorized as "illegal fighters," distributed across several prisons.

The statement highlighted testimonies from released detainees, indicating horrifying torture operations carried out by the occupation against Gaza detainees in prisons, with a notable instance being around Section (23) in the "Ofer" prison. 

The number of detainees announced as martyrs after October 7th in occupation prisons and camps reached 12 martyrs, including four from Gaza, the latest being the elderly martyr Ahmed Rizq Qudeih.The identity of one remains unknown, in addition to what the occupation media earlier revealed about the martyrdom of a group in the (Sdeh Teiman) camp of Gaza detainees without disclosing their identities and the circumstances of their martyrdom. The occupation also admitted to the execution of one detainee.

The Prisoners' Society reiterated its call to the United Nations and all international institutions to assume their responsibilities regarding the crimes committed by the occupation against the detainees.