The Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy called for ramping up legal care for prisoners from the Gaza Strip and for documenting the violations, abuse, and retaliatory behavior they are subjected to by Israeli prison authorities.
The Center noted that, according to current estimates, the number of Gaza Strip prisoners in Israeli jails has reached about 1,300 detainees, the vast majority of whom are held under the designation of “unlawful combatant.” It explained that Gaza prisoners have not received the necessary legal follow-up and have been largely neglected by official and international institutions since the start of the genocidal war on the Strip.
The Center pointed out that every delay in this regard emboldens the occupation to go further—passing unfair laws and issuing decisions that prolong the detention of Gaza Strip prisoners—in addition to the harsh treatment they face compared to other prisoners. It stressed the need for official Palestinian bodies to establish a dedicated legal unit to follow up on the cases of Gaza Strip prisoners and to compel Israeli courts to release them, as most continue to be held under the unjust “Unlawful Combatant Law.”
It is noted that the occupation forces yesterday released around 1,700 detainees from among the Gaza Strip prisoners as part of the exchange deal with the Palestinian resistance. Media outlets documented harrowing scenes of the released prisoners, who had been subjected to severe torture, humiliating treatment, and deliberate medical neglect, and who faced a catastrophic humanitarian reality over the two years of their detention.
