Ramallah: The Palestinian Prisoner's Society (PPS) announced on Friday that Israeli occupation forces have detained more than 19,000 individuals in the West Bank, including occupied Jerusalem, since the onset of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip in October 2023. This significant figure highlights the widespread detentions occurring as tensions continue to escalate in the region.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the detentions exclude those from Gaza, estimated to be in the thousands. The statistics reflect both those currently held and those who have since been released. Among the detained, at least 585 are Palestinian women, including those from the 1948 territories and the West Bank, with the number of women detained from Gaza estimated to be in the dozens.
Additionally, the PPS reported that at least 1,550 Palestinian children have been detained in the West Bank during the same period. The organization confirmed that at least 77 Palestinians have died while in Israeli custody since the conflict began, including 46 individuals from Gaza whose identities have been verified and disclosed publicly.
The PPS further disclosed that dozens of detainees from Gaza have died in Israeli prisons and military camps, though the Israeli authorities have not released their identities or circumstances of death, leaving them under enforced disappearance. Furthermore, the bodies of 74 detainees who died during the conflict remain withheld by Israel, contributing to a total of 85 detainees whose remains are still retained.
The PPS highlighted the lack of a clear estimate for the number of detainees from Gaza due to Israel's policy of enforced disappearance. The only official figure released by Israeli prison authorities is 2,662 detainees classified as "unlawful combatants," with rights groups suggesting the actual number could be significantly higher.