The number of Palestinian women currently detained or serving sentences in Israeli prisons has increased to 89, following the detention of four female students from the West Bank on Tuesday morning. This information was reported by the Palestinian Prisoner's Society, a rights organization.
Details of the Detained Women
Among the 89 women held, the society noted that two are suffering from cancer, three are minors, and three are pregnant. Additionally, 19 are administrative detainees, meaning they are held without charge or trial. The majority of these women are incarcerated at Damon Prison, located near the coastal city of Haifa.
Recent Arrests
On Tuesday, Israeli forces detained Natalie Abu Diya and Joulan Abu Awwad after raiding their homes in the town of Birzeit. They also arrested Laila Khalil from Beitunia and another unidentified woman. All four are students at Birzeit University, approximately 24 miles north of Ramallah in the West Bank, according to the Palestine News Agency.
Conditions in Detention
The Prisoner's Society reported that both male and female prisoners face harsh conditions and mistreatment while in Israeli detention. This includes starvation, medical negligence, solitary confinement, assaults, humiliating searches, and severe overcrowding, with some forced to sleep on the floor.
Broader Context
Since the start of Israel's military campaign against the Gaza Strip in October 2023, Israeli forces have detained more than 760 Palestinian women. During the same period, they detained 23,000 people in total in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, though most were subsequently released. The rights organization stated that the 9,400 Palestinian prisoners currently in Israeli jails face severe violations, including beatings, intimidation of relatives, and vandalism of their homes.
According to a 2023 UN report, more than 800,000 Palestinians have spent time in Israeli jails since the 1967 occupation of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.
