PNN

Since the outbreak of war on October 7, Palestinians have endured a year of brutal arrests and torture. This includes assaults on prisoners, their humiliation and exposure, as well as starvation and poor detention conditions. Additionally, the occupying authorities have prevented international organizations, particularly the Red Cross, from visiting Israeli prisons to assess the situation of the prisoners.

Abdullah Al-Zaghari, president of the Palestinian Prisoners Society, stated in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly that what is happening in prisons represents crimes beyond human comprehension. 

He emphasized that Israel has committed severe violations against detainees and their families during this bloody year for the Palestinian prisoner movement in Israeli jails. Al Zighari added that Israeli military conducted wide and intense arrests which resulted in arresting 11000 Palestinian since the beginning of the war.

Detainees have faced threats of being shot, severe beating, field interrogation, threat of rape, and instances of rape, with videos shared to insult Palestinians. Additionally, the occupation has used police dogs and employed citizens as human shields and hostages. Restraints have been used as means of abuse, along with field executions carried out against citizens during the arrest campaigns, including siblings of detainees. Along with other crimes and brutal violations, and extensive acts of vandalism targeting homes, confiscation of belongings, vehicles, money, gold jewelry, and electronic devices, in addition to the demolition and explosion of houses belonging to prisoners in the occupation's jails. 

These assaults and systematic crimes have resulted in many detainees and their family members suffering various physical injuries. After their arrest, the occupation deliberately leaves them without treatment. The testimonies of the families reflect numerous psychological symptoms that have appeared among family members, including children, as a result of the brutal raids that occurred in the homes of citizens.

Regarding the arrest operations in Gaza, these operations constituted one aspect of the genocide, with the arrest of thousands of civilians alongside field executions. Images have circulated of hundreds of civilians who were arrested from different areas of the Gaza Strip, appearing naked and piled together in large numbers in open spaces, streets, and and in vehicles belonging to the occupation forces, where they appeared in conditions that undermined human dignity and were humiliating. 

The head of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society confirmed that the torture crimes against Gaza’s detainees represent a turning point in the history of torture in the occupation's prisons and camps. With the start of the release operations for detainees from Gaza from Israeli prisons and camps, testimonies began to reveal an unprecedented level of torture crimes committed against them, which escalated gradually as the release operations continued for detainees of all ages and categories.

The occupation has established special camps for the detention of Gaza’s detainees, in addition to central prisons. Among the most notable of these is the (Sde Teiman) camp, which has become a prominent site for torture crimes, in addition to the (Anatot) camp and (Ofer) camp, all of which are operated by the occupation's army.

Al Zighari reported that at least 24 prisoners have been martyred in Israeli prison camps since October 2023, with their identities publicly announced. He also noted that there are additional prisoners whose identities and circumstances of martyrdom remain undisclosed, along with many others expected to face executions. The head of the Prisoners' Club stated that 22 announced martyrs have had their bodies withheld, part of a total of 33 martyrs whose bodies the occupation continues to hold, with their identities revealed.

The head of the Prisoners' Society, which has focused on the rights of Palestinian prisoners for 31 years, reported that as of September 2024, the number of prisoners and detainees from the West Bank in Israeli prisons exceeds 9,900, with 3,323 classified as administrative detainees. Additionally, there are 1,612 detainees classified as "illegal fighters" by the occupation’s prison administration in Gaza. This does not include around 4,500 prisoners held in military-affiliated camps. The statistics also indicate that there are 93 known female prisoners, including one pregnant woman, Jihad Dar Nakhlah, and 250 child prisoners.

Al Zighari concluded his remarks with a call for international organizations to take serious action to protect Palestinian prisoners after a year of torture, killing, starvation, rape, and overcrowding—crimes that violate the Fourth Geneva Conventions on the treatment of war prisoners. He questioned whether Israel is a state above the law and how long this will continue, emphasizing that the year of torture has exposed the shortcomings of the United Nations and its various agencies, as well as the false claims made by the international system regarding human rights.