Palestinians Held in Israeli Prisons and Detention Facilities

Palestinians Held in Israeli Prisons and Detention Facilities

According to multiple human rights organisations and prisoner support groups, thousands of Palestinians are held in Israeli prisons and detention facilities. As of mid‑2025, Israeli authorities were holding over 11,000 Palestinian detainees, including women and children, under a range of legal categories such as administrative detention and classifications under Israeli security laws. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Many detainees are held without charge or trial under administrative detention orders, which can be renewed indefinitely, or under the “Unlawful Combatants Law,” a legal category used to detain individuals without normal judicial process. Rights groups report that a significant proportion of those held have not been formally charged or tried. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Reports from human rights organisations and United Nations bodies state that conditions in detention have included overcrowded cells, limited access to legal counsel and family contact, and prolonged periods of incommunicado detention. International human rights offices have also documented allegations of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, which, if substantiated, would violate international law. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

The United Nations Human Rights Office released a report stating that since October 2023, thousands of Palestinians, including individuals taken from the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and East Jerusalem, were detained in conditions lacking access to legal review or family contact. The report noted deaths in custody and the use of secret detention. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Palestinian civil society and rights organisations have also documented deaths of detainees in custody since 7 October 2023. Reports indicate that some detainees died as a result of medical neglect and other causes while in detention. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}