Mother’s Day in time of genocide

The Israeli occupation is depriving (28) mothers of their sons

March 21, 2024

Ramallah
The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Society Prisoner’s Club stated that (28) mothers out of (67) detainees held in Israeli prisons are deprived of their families and children, including detainees’ mothers, wives, sisters and former detainees who spent many years in Israeli prisons, in addition to a martyr’s mother, the detainee Fatima Shamali, and a wounded detainee Rana Eid.

The Commission and the Prisoner’s Club said in a joint statement on the occasion of Mother’s Day, which coincides with the continuous genocide in Gaza, and led to the martyrdom of thousands of mothers and children, that thousands of children were deprived of their mothers, and thousands of mothers are deprived of their children. Besides, there are many mothers from Gaza who are detained in Israeli camps and the Israeli government is pursuing the policy of forcible hide against them. It is worth mentioning that the occupation forces implemented collective detention campaigns against women from Gaza after October 7, including mothers and grandmothers, and currently there are 4 women detainees from Gaza in Israeli prisons.

In the light of the horrible crimes committed against the Palestinian mothers, this day is not only for celebrating the exceptional sacrifices of the Palestinian mothers, who face killing displacement, detention and threats since decades, but also it is a day that reflects the unprecedented level of crimes implemented after October 7, which are still carried out by Israel with the support of international powers. The whole world are celebrating this days in their own way, excluding the Palestinian mothers, in the light of the absence of a real international will to end the occupation and stop its escalated crimes.

The Commission and the Prisoner’s Club emphasized that the occupation authorities escalated crimes and torture at different levels against women detainees including mothers, which has been reflected in tens of testimonies documented by competent authorities, in addition to testimonies documented by the legal team over the past months, as the majority of women detainees are held in Damoun prison.

Crimes and violations committed by the Israeli occupation against Palestinian women including mothers were unprecedented, as they have been arrested as hostages to put pressure on their husbands to surrender themselves, held in cruel conditions, attacked during detention campaigns, exposed to field interrogation and sexual assault, besides to medical crimes against sick ones.

The majority of detained mothers were arrested under the charge of incitement or administrative detention. In this context, the commission and the prisoner’s club said that in spite of our recurrent calls over the past decades to stop the systematic crimes of the occupation, no one responded. We recall upon international feminists organizations to take their humane and ethical responsibilities and stop the terrible crimes committed against Palestinian women, especially detainees in Israeli prisons.