RAMALLAH, Palestine

The number of Palestinian women detained in Israeli prisons has risen to 66, including three children, the Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said Thursday.

In a statement, the office said Israeli authorities detained 10 women in recent days, including a minor.

The statement said the most common accusation used to detain women is incitement on social media, adding that Israeli forces continue to target women in an “unprecedented manner.”

It said detentions of women have increased since Israel launched attacks on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023.

Most of the female detainees are being held at Damon Prison in northern Israel, while others are being held in interrogation centers, according to the statement.

Female detainees are facing “tragic detention conditions” and systematic rights violations and deprivation, including starvation, abuse, various forms of assault, denial of family visits and separation from their children and relatives, as well as ongoing torture and ill-treatment, it said.

The statement also condemned the practice of “strip searches” of female prisoners, emphasizing that this was one of the primary methods of sexual assault and that female prisoners were also deprived of their right to medical treatment.

According to data shared by prisoners’ institutions as of Feb. 5, more than 9,300 Palestinians, including 350 children, are being held in Israeli prisons.