Palestinian Prisoners’ Day: Over 9,600 Detainees Face Worsening Conditions in Israeli Prisons
Amid an unprecedented rise in the number of Palestinian detainees and the harsh conditions they face inside Israeli prisons, more than 9,600 Palestinian detainees are currently held, including 3,532 administrative detainees, 350 children, 86 women, and 1,251 detainees classified as “unlawful combatants,” a designation used to detain Palestinians outside regular legal procedures. These figures are based on data issued by relevant prisoner affairs organizations as of April 2026.
Reports indicate a continued deterioration in the health and living conditions of detainees, amid a policy of deliberate medical neglect and denial of essential medication and pain relief, leading to the worsening of medical conditions inside prisons. In addition, detainees suffer from severe shortages and poor quality of food, as well as the absence of basic hygiene and personal care items, resulting in visible weakness and physical deterioration.
In this context, the International Committee for Solidarity with Palestinian Prisoners (Tadamon) reported that arrest campaigns have targeted more than 1,700 children, alongside the detention of children from the Gaza Strip under conditions that may amount to enforced disappearance. These practices include violent arrests, arbitrary detention, interrogation without the presence of a lawyer or guardian, and the use of administrative detention based on secret files, in clear violation of fair trial guarantees, particularly Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
These systematic policies have led to the deaths of 89 detainees whose identities are known, while the fate of others remains unknown, amid increasing testimonies of torture and ill treatment inside prisons, which are increasingly described as collective isolation spaces and “living graves.”
The Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center (DWRC) warns of the serious implications of recent legislative developments, as the Israeli Knesset has approved a law allowing the imposition of the death penalty against Palestinian detainees, raising serious concerns about its potential use as an additional punitive measure.
On this day, DWRC emphasizes that the issue of prisoners affects the entire Palestinian society, as thousands of families continue to endure uncertainty and hardship due to the ongoing detention of their loved ones and the denial of their most basic human rights.
The Center further stresses the importance of serious international action to secure the release of detainees, particularly children, women, and administrative detainees, ensure access to adequate healthcare, and enable international bodies to access detention facilities without restrictions, in order to help curb violations and uphold human dignity
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