An independent and nongovernmental rights organization says Israeli military forces have arrested 6,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of women and children, across the occupied West Bank, since the beginning of the year, as the Israeli regime continues its campaign of abuse and arrest against Palestinians.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club (PPC) said in a statement that 153 women and 811 children were among those detained.
The statement added that 2,134 "administrative detention" orders were also issued against Palestinian detainees during the same period.
#فلسطين_المحتلة | أوضح نادي الأسير، بمناسبة اليوم العالمي لحقوق الإنسان، أنّ من بين حالات #الأسرى في #فلسطين 153 معتقلة من النساء، و811 طفلاً معتقلاً لدى الاحتلال. https://t.co/MwpfiRzK3L
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 10, 2022
The so-called administrative detainees are arrested on “secret evidence”, unaware of the accusations against them, and are not allowed to defend themselves in court. They are usually held for renewable six-month periods, often leading to years in detention.
The PPC further highlighted that 4,700 Palestinians are currently being held behind bars in 23 Israeli-run prisons and detention centers across the occupied lands.
The rights group also noted that the Palestinian detainees include 34 female prisoners, 150 children as well as 835 administrative detainees.
Diseases threaten lives of Palestinian prisoners
The statement highlighted that 600 Palestinian prisoners also suffer from various chronic diseases, arguing that they are subjected to tragic conditions, brutal treatment and agonizing torture.
The PPC said all Palestinian prisoners are held in inhumane conditions, do not receive necessary medical care, and are exposed to deliberate medical neglect.
It called upon international humanitarian institutions and committees concerned with prisoners’ rights to advocate for Palestinian prisoners, develop a common vision to internationalize the medical file of Palestinians, launch an international campaign to save the lives of sick prisoners, and to protect other prisoners against contracting diseases in Israeli detention centers.