Jenna Abu Hasna. Around 10,100 Palestinians are currently being detained in prisons of the occupation forces. Among them, 3,332 are subject to administrative detention. This measure is used to indefinitely detain any Palestinian, regardless of their age or gender, without any formal charge. This is one of the most common orders issued against Palestinian people. The initial period of detention can range from three to six months. Once it ends, the person is brought to court for judicial review, where the Israeli occupation’s prosecutor and judge determine whether to extend the detention or order a release. In 90% of cases, the detention order is renewed. The file that the occupation claims to possess is kept secret, and neither the incarcerated person nor their lawyer has access to it. The occupation’s judge asserts that this file contains classified evidence proving that the person is “a security threat to the nation”, which justifies their detention.

In addition to the people under administrative detention orders, many others are serving life sentences or prison terms of over 20 years. A large number of the people in prison have been detained since the Oslo Accords, in the 1990s.

Any Palestinian who plays a role in politics, including motivational leaders and speakers, is targeted by the occupation. Any form of resistance, even peaceful, can be charged with incitement to violence and result in a prison sentence of over 20 years. Attending a protest, as well as simply sharing content expressing solidarity with Palestinians on social media, can be seen as inciting violence and lead to arrest and detention. Expressing support against the ongoing genocide in Gaza is enough to be incarcerated. Since 7 October 2023, social media activity has been subject to particular scrutiny: even liking a post can catch the occupation’s attention. As for Palestinians involved in armed resistance, most of them are not sent to prison, as they are killed on the spot.

Charges of incitement of violence and rock-throwing are very common in cases involving children. Throwing rocks can result in more than 10 years’ imprisonment. Administrative detention is also commonly used against children. Last month, a 14-year-old was sentenced to four months of administrative detention, making him the youngest person to receive this order.

Before 7 October, there were more than 5,000 Palestinian people in prison and a little over 1,000 in administrative detention. To date, there are more than 9,900 incarcerated Palestinians in total, and a little over 3,300 in administrative detention. These numbers did not increase gradually but almost doubled in the same week. In the past year, over 11,000 Palestinians have been arrested.

JAH. None of the practices, laws and violations that the occupation enforces on imprisoned Palestinian are new. Many of them existed long before 7 October. Torture methods and administrative detention orders were adopted under the British Mandate. Israeli forces inherited these practices and began using them against Palestinians after the occupation started in 1948 and their first prisons were set up. Some facilities actually date back to the British Mandate period.

Since 7 October, numerous legal amendments have been passed concerning incarcerated people from Gaza alone. For example, they are now subject to the Unlawful Combatants Law, that allows the occupation to detain Palestinians for months on end by labeling them ‘unlawful combatants’, without charge or evidence. These people are incarcerated in military camps and separated from other Palestinian people. The law, specifically designed for the inhabitants of Gaza, was first adopted in 2005, but has only been widely applied in the last year. New amendments include, for example, a ban on imprisoned Gazans from receiving visits from lawyers, family or any third-party for up to 180 days. The military bases near Beersheba (Sde Teiman) and Jerusalem (Anatot), previously used by the occupation for their military incursions, have been converted into detention camps. As they were not designed to be prisons, the occupation forces built cages in them. Palestinians are not held in cells, but in open cages or metal containers.

The conditions of judicial review have also been modified. This is a waiting procedure that extends from the start of the incarceration until the court session and during which people can be detained without any charge. For Palestinians from the West Bank and other territories, the period was 12 days. It was 14 days for people from Gaza. After 7 October, amendments extended this period almost every month, eventually reaching 45 days. During this period, incarcerated people are interrogated and subjected to torture, before they are even seen by a judge. The conditions under which Palestinians are tried have also been amended. Instead of being brought before a court, some are now seen by a judge via phone or video call, who simply tells them that they are being detained for security reasons until further notice, without mentioning the length of their detention. The length of the ban on visits by lawyers was reduced from 180 days to 90 days, then increased and reduced again – as of now the current length is not clear. All these legal changes are very confusing and take place at a very rapid pace. Despite all these amendments, the occupation forces keep violating their own laws.

Inhumane and degrading treatment¶

Children are held in separate quarters. Before the events of October 2023, they were supervised by a randomly selected incarcerated adult, acting as an intermediary between the occupation’s prison administration and children. The adult’s duties included communicating with the administration, distributing food, solving issues among the children or asking for medical attention. The prisons have since undergone drastic changes and all the adult supervisors have been removed, leaving the children completely on their own. They have no communication with their family members or anyone from the outside world, except for their lawyers, who may be allowed to speak to them once a month or once every two months.

All prisons are extremely overcrowded. Amendments have been passed to increase the maximum cell capacity: 10 to 14 people are now detained in cells designed for four people. People sleep on the floor, standing or sitting up. Because of overcrowding, they are frequently transferred. These transfers constitute both psychological and physical torture, as ill-treatment is widespread during the process.

Detention conditions have worsened over the past year. The occupation forces now confiscate all personal belongings. They beat Palestinian people during the head counts which take place several times a day. Special unit forces, which are usually only deployed in extreme emergencies, are now sent daily to the prisons to storm the cells and subject the imprisoned Palestinians to severe beatings. The tactics employed reveal careful planning, as evidenced by the way they strike people in prison, specifically targeting the head or other sensitive areas known to cause maximum pain and damage.

Between 7 October 2023 and 6 October 2024, at least 24 Palestinian people have been killed in prison, either as a result of torture or medical neglect. Their bodies remain withheld by the occupation. Many people are wounded or shot during their arrest. Some are used by the occupation forces as human shields when they withdraw from areas they have raided. None receive medical care in prison.

Incarcerated people suffering from cancer or chronic illnesses such as diabetes are often not treated, and when they do receive medication, it is incorrectly dosed, causing further complications. The spread of diseases has greatly intensified since 7 October. With people in prison forced to use the same towels and clothing, scabies has spread to almost everyone. It is only recently that the occupation forces have begun providing people in prison with new clothes. Many of them, detained since last year, had not been able to change since. Initially, they were not allowed to shower. They were denied basic hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and nail clippers. In some cases, they can now shower once a week.

Palestinians in prison suffer from a starvation policy. The occupation does not provide them with adequate food. When they do receive a meal, it is often contaminated with hair, dirt or mold. Sometimes they are given nothing but chocolate for the entire day. It has no nutrients and causes health complications due to the excess of sugar, but it is just enough to keep them alive.

The intensification of measures taken by the occupation against imprisoned Palestinians is part of a collective punishment in response to the events of last October. It is a way of seeking revenge for what occurred. Although many people were imprisoned at the time and could not have possibly played any part in what happened, they are subjected to the same inhumane detention conditions. Through these brutal revenge tactics, the occupation is targeting all Palestinians. The ongoing genocide in Gaza, the killings occurring in the West Bank and the occupation’s violations of prisoner’s rights are all part of the same issue. The plight of people in prison is deeply intertwined with the occupation. Most of the violations against incarcerated people intensified after 7 October, as part of a broader strategy to deprive Palestinians of their basic human fundamental rights.

JAH. Previously, an important aspect of Addameer’s work was visiting prisons and collecting testimonies from Palestinian people in prison. Through these visits, we were able to document the overall detention conditions and the violations of basic human rights. We could pass on these stories, experiences and facts to international bodies such as the United Nations and international courts. We regularly worked with Special Rapporteurs on several issues, such as health, torture and other violations.

Since 7 October, visits by lawyers have been Addameer’s only way to document and compile prisoners’ testimonies, as all other entry into prisons has been prevented. Only lawyers with Israeli citizenship are allowed to enter prisons without a special permit. Palestinian lawyers holding Israeli citizenship can access prisons in occupied territories. However, Palestinian lawyers from these territories must ask for a special permit to access these prisons. Most of the time, the occupation forces refuse to grant it. The only prison that Palestinian lawyers who do not hold Israeli citizenship can visit without this permit is Ofer prison, located in the West Bank.

Until last year, lawyers were our main way of obtaining information on transfers of people from one prison to another. Nowadays, they are often not informed of this anymore.

It has become extremely difficult to locate incarcerated Palestinians because the occupation is transferring them without notifying anyone. Lawyers come for scheduled visits, only to be informed, after waiting five or six hours, that the person has been transferred, or the visit cancelled for “emergency reasons”. Lawyers are obliged to call each prison to find their client. Once they have located the person, they inform the family. This tactic is part of an attempt to hide the occupation’s crimes, as the physical evidence of torture is visible on the prisoners’ bodies.

Before 7 October, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was authorised to visit any person detained by the occupation within two weeks of their detention. Since then, the ICRC has been completely banned from visiting detention facilities. To this day, it has not been able to carry out a single visit, leaving lawyers as our sole means of communication.