Semi-annual report issued by detainees' institutions on detention, violations and latest statistics 

 

Detainees' institutions: the Israeli authorities arrested more than (3860) Palestinians in the first half of 2023

 

"The occupation authorities and the extremist right wing government pursued the escalation in crime levels against detainees"

 

The first half of the year witnessed significant transformations on the level of attacks, abuse and violations which affected all aspects of detainees' cause. These changes are linked basically to the escalation of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people,  who struggle for their freedom, and also linked to the extremist right wing government, which intensified the level of crimes against our people,  and classified as war crimes. 

It is part of the apartheid regime,  which aims at undermining the struggle against the occupation. Detention, violations and torture, incitement against detainees and enacting racist laws are parts of the occupation's system pursued against detainees. 

 

There are currently (5000) detainees held in Israeli prisons,  including (32) women,  (160) minors and (1132) administrative detainees.

 

"Percentage of detention cases, and the most prominent firm and variable policies and crimes"

 

Detainees' institutions stated that (3866) arrest cases have been recorded in the first half of 2023, where the highest rate goes for Jerusalem with (1800) cases. Moreover,  they arrested (568) children and (72) women,  in addition to (1608) orders of administrative detention.  The highest rate of arrests was during April 2023, with (1001) arrest cases.

 

Detainees institutions ( Commission of Detainees' Affairs, Palestinian Society Prisoner's Club,  Addameer Association for Human Rights and Wadi Hilweh Information Centre) confirmed that these statistics are very close to the rate of detention cases witnessed in the first half of 2023, where the changes are not linked to figures only, but also to the level of crime and violations that accompanied the detention cases, especially (field executions, assassination and collective punishments). 

 

It is worthy to mention that there was an obvious increase in the orders of administrative detention, where the Israeli authorities have issued (1608) orders in the first half of this year, in comparison with (862) orders in the first half of 2022.

 

Arrest cases were focused on the cities that witnessed acts of struggle, such as Jericho, especially Aqb Jaber camp with (201) cases, in addition to (291) cases in Jenin and Jenin camp and (215) cases in Nablus until June 2023.

 

This percentage  is not the highest on the nation's level, where the highest rate of arrest cases was in Jerusalem and Hebron.

 

The crime of (collective punishment) was the most prominent violation used by the Israeli authorities against detainees and their families in addition to martyrs' families. 

 

Arrest cases which targeted detainees' families were accompanied by incursions to their houses, field executions and damage in the house belongings.

 

This crime was spread to villages and camps around the Israeli settlements,  where house demolishing was part of the collective punishment conducted against detainees' families. 

 

4 house of detainees have been demolished ( the detainee Younes Hilan, Islam Froukh, Osama Taweel and Kamal Jouri), where this crime caused serious psychological effects on detainees families and children.

 

"Shooting detainees before and after arrest "

 

Detainees' institutions documented the crime of shooting detainees before arrest, in addition to arresting wounded persons including children.

 

This issue left profound consequences on detainees in Israeli prisons, especially that they are in urgent need of medical care.

 

Cases in point are the detainees ( Osama Taweel,  Kamal Jouri and Fatima Shaheen), and the injured detainee Muhammad Zughayar who suffers from distortion in his body due to an injury before 20 years. 

He needs special medical care but the occupation authorities still holding him.

 

"The crime of administrative detention is a witness on the variables related to detainees' cause"

 

The Israeli authorities issued (1608) orders of administrative detention,  including (813) new orders and (795) renewal orders. 

 

It is worthy to mention that 80% of administrative detainees are former detainees, where there are currently (1132), including (3) women and (18) children.

 

"Let's eliminate the legitimacy of the occupation's courts through boycott"

 

The occupation's courts pursued embedding the crime of administrative detention, where it is a means of imposing control over the Palestinian people especially detainees in Israeli prisons. 

 

Over the years,  the occupation military courts were moot courts that aimed at confirming the policy of administrative detention as procedure imposed against detainees to abuse and torture detainees and their families.

 

Over the past decade, administrative detainees have conducted hunger strikes against the arbitrary policy of administrative detention, which included boycotting the military courts. 

 

On January 2022, administrative detainees started a collective campaign represented in boycotting all military courts and lasted for September. During that phase,  80 detainees went through the boycott process,  and there are 60 of them who still boycotting the military courts.

 

"Legislation of racist laws"

 

Threats against detainees and their families are turned into legislations, laws and draft laws. 

 

The Israeli authorities started to pass racist laws since the right wing government was established, where these laws affected detainees' fate such as: the law of executing detainees who implemented struggle acts against the occupation, the law of withdrawing the nationality and residency from Jerusalem detainees, the law of displacement of the families of detainees and martyrs and the law of depriving detainees of the right to treatment.

 

The fascist minister Ben Gvir issued instructions to deduct from the canteen funds from detainees accounts in case they use the dental clinic. They deduct (175) NIS for each hour in dental clinic. In addition,  they made amendments to the anti terrorism law, which allows withholding remains of martyrs, and they drafted a law to prevent the early release, a law that allows holding children under the age of 12 in prison,  a draft law that allows the police minister to impose administrative detention,  and many other laws that affect detainees and their families, especially in Jerusalem and the lands occupied in 1948.

 

"Conditions of detainees in Israeli prisons and their confrontation against continuous crimes"

 

Detainees' conditions in Israeli prisons witnessed a series of changes, where the administration of prisons tries to impose new conditions against them to take away their rights.

 

For example, the administration of prisons tended to decrease the amount of water provided for detainees, in addition to decreasing the quantity of bread.

 

Besides, there are firm policies still used, such as the crime of medical ignorance, where the detainees Ahmad Abu Ali and Khader Adnan have been martyred due to this policy.

 

It is worthy to mention that the detainee Khader Adnan entered a hunger strike in a protest against his arbitrary administrative detention for 86 days, where he was in a bad health conditions,  but the Israeli authorities did not care and kept him in prison until he passed away on May 2, 2023. It is worth mentioning that his remain is withheld besides to the remains of other 10 detainees  from the Captive Movement.

 

There are currently (700) sick detainees in Israeli prisons, including 24 who have cancer. 

 

A case in point is the detainee Walid Daqqa, who is detained since 38 years, and has cancer in the spinal cord. His health condition deteriorated due to medical ignorance, and he is currently held at the clinic of Al-ramla prison. 

 

Detainees' institutions reviews the case of the detainee Walid Daqqa..

 

Walid Nimer Daqqa, 62, is from the lands occupied in 1948. He was supposed to be released on March 2023, but the occupation court added two years to his sentence, under the pretext that he was involved in bringing cellphones to detainees. 

 

His health condition deteriorated on March and he had a surgery to remove part of his right lung.

 

Moreover,  the Israeli authorities pursued using the policy of solitary confinement, which was escalated remarkably since 2021, especially after the operation of "freedom tunnel "

There are currently (35) detainees in isolation, including detainees who suffer from chronic and psychological diseases, such as the detainee Ahmad Manasra.

 

 Another case in point is the detainee Muhammad Khalil who has been isolated since 15 years.  

 

In addition to this policy, the Israeli authorities pursued using the policy of incursions to prisons' sections and attacking detainees, and obstructing family visits.

 

Detainees have implemented a series of protest steps on February and March, protesting against the procedures announced by the extremist minister Ben Gvir.

 

"Variables on some detainees categories in terms of figures"

 

The number of detainees who serve life sentences reached to (558) since the beginning of the year, where (6) detainees have been sentenced to life imprisonment: Alaa Qabha from Jenin,  Muath Hamed from Silwad, Yousef Assi, Yahya Marei from Salfit, Mahmood Atawneh from Hebron and Zaid Amer from Nablus. 

 

There are currently (22) senior detainees, who are imprisoned before the Oslo Accord, three of them have been released ( Kareem Younis,  Maher Younis and Basheer Khatib).

 

The oldest detainee in Israeli prisons is the detainee Muhammad Tous, who is imprisoned since 1985.

There are (11) detainees who have been released under an exchange bargain, and they got rearrested in 2014, such as the detainee Nael Barghouthi who is serving the longest period of detention and spent (43) years in prison.

 

"Recommendations of Detainees' institutions"

 

In the light of all dangerous variables in the cause of Palestinian detainees, detainees institutions call upon international human rights organisations to face these variables which affect the Palestinian society,  and to force Israel to stop its crimes and hold Israel accountable. 

 

They also call upon organisations to reconsider dealing with the occupation's judiciary, which reinforces crimes against detainees, by implementing political orders,  especially the administrative detention.

 

Our call comes under the slogan of ( Let's eliminate the legitimacy of the occupation's courts through boycott).