Israel’s aggressive arrest campaign has doubled the number of Palestinian prisoners in prisons

There has never been peace in the Palestinian lands, which have been subject to Israeli military occupation for 56 years. At that time, they were arrested every day. Average 15 and 20 people. This tragic reality has also changed since October 7. According to Palestinian officials, the daily arrest rate in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem rose to 1,000,000 last month. 120 people. “Israel has made it very clear that it only wants to focus on the Gaza Strip and is not interested in opening any other fronts, so it has dedicated itself to arresting all possible people. leaders of all kinds of resistance or those who have influence on the street because of their presence, charisma or political views,” he explains. Musaab Bashirformer political prisoner.

escalation of violence

“Crushing any resistance cell is always an urgent task, and even more urgent with the presence of the West Bank in the sensitive environment of the West Bank,” Bashir told this newspaper. many settlements“Israeli settlers. “It is inevitable that Israel will carry out campaigns and arrests in the West Bank, because what is happening in Gaza is burning its population,” he adds. In the last year and a half, the Israeli Army has taken responsibility. mass arrest operations almost every day. He raided Palestinian homes at dawn and took many residents, mainly young men, to prisons. This month, these arrests have become even more violent.

“There has been an increase not only in the number of detainees but also in the number of detainees. crimes committed against detainees “Practices such as beatings, demolishing their homes, and threats of murder or rape against their families,” he condemned. Amani Srahneh, Palestinian Prisoners Club. This Palestinian organization is registered at least 2,300 detainee cases The army has been in the West Bank and Jerusalem since October 7. “We have seen many cases where they use family members to force detainees to surrender,” Srahneh tells Prensa Ibérica’s El Periódico de Cataluña. The vast majority of those arrested “without any charge or trial”administrative detention“ This is a practice that allows Israel to keep them behind bars indefinitely in this way.

Also in recent weeks the focus has been on: 18,000 Gaza workers Persons with permission to enter Israel whose visas were canceled and who were on Israeli territory when the Hamas attack began. Some 4,000 workers They were illegally trapped and detained on military bases in Israel; They reported torture, serious ill-treatment and appalling conditions there. Some of them were able to return to Gaza this week, where they described their hell.

two out of five men

But before this fierce battle, there were already some people. 5,200 Palestinian prisoners33 of them are women and 170 are children. Two in five Palestinian men have been arrested and charged. 1,600 military orders Those who control every aspect of the lives of Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation and are therefore tried in military courts. As part of attack targets and Kidnapping of 240 IsraelisHamas has tried to free thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. But for now, their situation has worsened.

“After October 7, there was activity in prisons. fundamental change “In the reality of the detainees’ lives,” explains Srahneh. electric tools In addition to television and radio, they use it for cooking and postpone family visits,” Bashir adds. For now, the Palestine Prisoners Club confirmed this four deaths Number of Palestinians in prison. “The practices of the Israeli prison administration today hunger politics“, condemned its representative. The Palestinian Authority (PA) condemned the broken limbs, cuts of water or electricity, and the denial of medicines to Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli Government also acknowledged this. aim to be overcrowded Even the prisoners’ beds were removed.

punitive measures

Addameer, a Palestinian organization defending Palestinian prisoners, said: “Closing the sections and the canteen, visit ban lawyers, supply of poor quality and small quantities of food, closing the clinic in prisons and the refusal to transfer patients to clinics and hospitals and the ban on the visit of the International Committee Red Cross“It is not strange that the pace of night raids and provocations to physically punish prisoners has increased,” Bashir admits. “This is very typical of the Zionist guards: pay out your anger with them“, confirms El Periódico de Catalunya.

“October 7 is not a start, because all these actions applied beforebut from that moment their presence and intensity increased tremendously,” says Srahneh, recalling: “They exist in occupation prisons to this day.” 7,000 prisoners“. A few days ago the Israeli Government decided deduct the money It was allocated to Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners from tax funds to be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. Also on October 13, Israel changed the law to: Making it easier to arrest Palestinians on mere suspicion. subject to darkness And insulationPalestinian prisoners are being punished collectively by the State of Israel before their voices can tell the stories of these numbers.