Over 500 Palestinians, including 52 children, were arrested by Israel in the month of April.
Updated Report: Israeli Occupation Force's Crackdown on Palestinians
In the past month, Israeli forces have rounded up an astonishing 530 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This figure includes 60 children and 18 women, as reported by the Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies [1].
The alarming statistics don't end there. As of mid-April, approximately 9,900 Palestinian political prisoners are being held by Israel, with around 3,498 in administrative detention, 400 being child prisoners, and 27 female prisoners [2].
The Israeli authorities often rely on administrative detention, which allows them to hold individuals without charges. This practice can last for six-month stints, and these periods can be renewed indefinitely [3].
This crackdown on Palestinians hasn't slipped under the radar. Since October 7, at least 16,400 arrests have been made across the West Bank and Jerusalem, with over 1,300 being children and 510 women [5].
Insights: The raids are conducted through violent means, with civilians often subjected to field interrogations, beatings, and intimidation, especially in refugee camps [1]. These arrests occur amid ongoing conflict and military operations, including mass arrests, field executions, and forced displacement [1][5].
Current Health Status of Prisoners: The Palestine Center reported the deaths of two prisoners, Nasser Radaideh, 49, from Bethlehem, and Musab Adili, 20, from Nablus, as a result of medical negligence in Israeli prisons [4].
The month of April also saw a surge in the number of administrative detention orders, with 910 new and renewed orders. The youngest detainee to receive such an order was a 14-year-old from Ramallah [4].
Continued Intimidation: Gaza-released prisoners reported shocking instances of severe physical torture and systematic starvation in prisons, which led to some losing up to half their body weight [4].
The Israeli authorities are accused of attempting to assassinate leaders of the prisoner movement through torture and starvation, such as Abdullah Barghouti, Hassan Salama, Abbas al-Sayed, Muhammad al-Natsheh, and Muammar Shahrour, all of whom have critical health conditions due to torture and neglect [4].
The center also revealed that during April, 73 detainees from Gaza were released, including two women who had been forcibly disappeared before being released in deteriorating health conditions [4].
- The United Nations (UN) has expressed concern over the rising death toll among Palestinian prisoners due to reported medical negligence in Israeli prisons.
- Recent news reports indicate that Israel's war-and-conflicts with Palestinians continue to intensify, with ongoing war crimes such as mass arrests, field executions, and forced displacement.
- Amidst these war-and-conflicts, Palestine's general news has been dominated by stories of human rights violations, with repeated allegations of torture, starvation, and intimidation in Israeli prisons.
- The Israeli government's use of administrative detention, where individuals can be held without charges for indefinite periods, has been criticized in several international political statements as a violation of basic rights.
- In a statement, the Palestine Center for Prisoners' Studies accused the Israeli authorities of attempting to assassinate leaders of the prisoner movement through torture and starvation.
- Crime-and-justice news has revealed shocking instances of severe physical torture and systematic starvation in Israeli prisons, leading to prisoners losing a significant portion of their body weight.
- The Israeli Occupation Force's crackdown on Palestinians, which has resulted in the arrest of over 16,400 individuals in the past few months, is causing a significant increase in the number of child and female prisoners in Israeli custody.
