Necva Tastan Sevinc
18 April 2026•Update: 18 April 2026
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) warned Friday about an “unprecedented escalation” in alleged abuses against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, citing widespread torture, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention.
In a statement marking Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, the Gaza Strip-based rights group said thousands of Palestinians are being held in “harsh and life-threatening conditions,” with practices that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The organization said it documented testimonies from hundreds of detainees, including women, children, journalists and medical personnel, describing severe ill-treatment such as beatings, sleep deprivation, starvation and medical neglect, as well as sexual violence.
The PCHR said many detainees are held incommunicado and denied access to lawyers, family members and the International Committee of the Red Cross, while the fate of hundreds remains unknown, raising concerns about enforced disappearance.
Detention practices, the group said, have intensified since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, with mass arrests targeting civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Figures from the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission indicate that 9,600 Palestinians are being held in Israeli prisons as of April, including 84 women and 350 children. At least 1,251 detainees from Gaza are being held without charge under Israel’s “Unlawful Combatants Law.”
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society reported that at least 89 Palestinians have died in Israeli detention, including 52 from Gaza, though the actual number is believed to be higher.
The PCHR also raised concerns about the return of more than 300 unidentified bodies in early 2026, many said to be decomposed or mutilated, complicating identification efforts amid restrictions on forensic resources entering Gaza.
The group also criticized a recent Israeli legislation allowing the death penalty for certain detainees convicted in military courts, warning it could institutionalize what it described as extrajudicial practices.
The PCHR urged the international community to impose sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, and encouraged the International Criminal Court to investigate alleged crimes against Palestinian detainees and issue arrest warrants for those responsible.
