The situation of the palestinians

On Prisoner's Day, as Palestinians commemorate the occasion, it is disheartening to acknowledge that Israel continues to detain and mistreat numerous Palestinian prisoners. Recently, a Palestinian detainee was released from an Israeli prison in exchange for Israeli captives who were freed by Hamas from Gaza. This incident took place in the occupied West Bank on November 28, 2023. However, it is crucial to shed light on the ongoing issue of Israel's treatment of Palestinian prisoners. One such example is the case of Nada, who was arrested by the Israeli army during a cultural event at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank in July 2020. She was accused of planning "acts of terrorism" against Israeli forces and subsequently sentenced to 20 months in prison. Nada vehemently denies these allegations, stating that she neither committed a crime nor engaged in any form of resistance that would warrant her arrest. Unfortunately, as a Palestinian, she feels constantly endangered, as she believes that the occupation forces perceive all Palestinians as terrorists, regardless of their actions.

Nada, a former prisoner, is honoring the numerous Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons on Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, a day of remembrance observed annually on April 17.

Local reports indicate that over 9,500 Palestinians from the occupied West Bank are currently imprisoned, a significant increase from the 5,200 detainees prior to Israel's military action in response to an attack on October 7 by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Following the events of October 7, Palestinians have been detained for seemingly minor offenses such as displaying a Palestinian flag or sharing social media posts expressing solidarity with the victims in Gaza, where over 35,000 individuals have lost their lives in Israel's conflict.

Individuals showing support for Gaza on social media are closely monitored, with such actions being labeled as incitement to violence or backing a 'terrorist organization', as stated by a member of the local Palestinian monitoring group Addameer, who chose to remain anonymous due to safety concerns.

Since October 7, numerous former prisoners have been reapprehended under suspicion of posing a threat to Israel, according to former detainees and human rights organizations.

Individuals with a history of security issues or previous records are specifically targeted, as mentioned by the Addameer source.

On November 7, Israeli forces conducted a raid on Nada's residence to detain her once again, placing her under "administrative detention" - a practice derived from the British colonial era that Israeli authorities utilize to hold Palestinians without charge or trial indefinitely.

Those in administrative detention are kept uninformed about their circumstances, including the charges against them or the supposed evidence.

In December, Israel announced that it had detained 1,000 individuals from Gaza, but their whereabouts remain undisclosed, and they have not been provided with legal assistance.

Diana Buttu, a Palestinian lawyer and analyst, stated that these individuals are being held incommunicado. Due to the lack of transparency, Buttu suspects that the actual number of political prisoners from Gaza is higher than what Israel has acknowledged.

Despite efforts by human rights organizations to obtain information on the prisoners, Israeli courts have refused to disclose their names, numbers, or locations.

Buttu highlighted that thousands of Palestinian workers from Gaza were swiftly arrested in Israel without charges after October 7.

Under international law, these arrests could be considered enforced disappearances since Israel has not revealed the fate or whereabouts of these individuals to their families.

Buttu mentioned that a person she spoke to, who was in one of the prison camps in Israel, claimed there were around 2,000 individuals from Gaza held there. However, their names, conditions, and exact locations remain unknown.

Reports also suggest that Palestinians from Gaza are facing severe mistreatment and torture.

An Israeli doctor described the appalling conditions under which Palestinian prisoners from Gaza were being held at a temporary detention facility, including being constantly restrained, blindfolded, fed through a straw, and forced to use diapers for urination and defecation.

The doctor informed the Israeli attorney general and others that the use of tight plastic restraints often led to infections, resulting in prisoners needing amputations of their extremities.

Since October 7, a minimum of 15 prisoners from the occupied West Bank have tragically lost their lives, as confirmed by an individual from Addameer. Disturbingly, Israeli authorities have refused to release the bodies of these individuals to their families for a proper and respectful burial.

The source from Addameer expressed their deep concern, stating that in their 27 years of experience in this field, they have never witnessed such a high number of deaths within the prison system.

Attawel, whose husband remains incarcerated, lives in constant fear that he may also meet the same fate. She revealed that he recently spoke out about being subjected to physical abuse and starvation, but his pleas were silenced by an Israeli judge.

Now, Attawel's worries extend to the possibility of her husband being unjustly imprisoned for several more years, either on fabricated charges or without any charges at all.

Despite the immense challenges she faces, Attawel remains determined to be both a mother and a father to her children. She refuses to give up or succumb to exhaustion, recognizing the importance of being a pillar of support for her children amidst the ongoing oppression they endure.