The Palestinian people, both at home and across the diaspora, commemorate the national day of the Palestinian prisoner, observed annually on April 17. The prisoners’ issue remains one of the most sacred national causes tied to the dignity and humanity of the Palestinian people.
Statistics indicate that more than one million Palestinians have been detained since 1967, enduring various forms of oppression, suffering, and even death at the hands of the Israeli apparatus. Arrests targeting Palestinians of all groups have been used as a means to break their will and undermine their humanity and dignity through practices widely described as systematic, discriminatory, and deeply abusive.
Currently, approximately 9,650 Palestinian detainees are held in Israeli prisons. Among them are 350 children, 85 women, around 3,500 administrative detainees, and 1,250 individuals classified by Israeli authorities as “unlawful combatants,” the majority of whom are from the Gaza Strip following October 7.
At least 1,500 prisoners suffer from serious and life-threatening illnesses, while facing systematic medical neglect that amounts to deliberate and slow harm. Over the past two years, this has contributed to the deaths of more than 90 detainees, alongside other forms of violence, including direct killing and fatal torture. Reports and documentation by the Center also indicate the occurrence of severe abuses, including sexual violence, in what is described as one of the gravest violations in the history of the Palestinian prisoners’ movement. Furthermore, recent developments, including discussions around legislation permitting the execution of prisoners, reflect a dangerous escalation in policies targeting detainees.
At this critical and defining moment for our people and cause, the Palestinian Center for Prisoners Advocacy raises urgent alarm and warns of increasingly aggressive and extreme measures against prisoners in Israeli detention. This includes tightening detention conditions under directives from high-level political authorities, with the involvement of security, judicial, and military systems.
The time has come for international institutions to fulfill their responsibilities toward humanity and human rights by taking concrete and effective action to halt these grave violations. These practices stand in clear contradiction to fundamental principles of international law and international humanitarian law. It is unacceptable that global attention remains selective, mourning some prisoners while overlooking the suffering and deaths of Palestinian detainees.
On this occasion, the Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy affirms the following:
First, we commend the ongoing mobilization of Palestinian and Arab communities worldwide in support of prisoners and call for its continuation, expansion, and strategic intensification.
Second, we urge all Palestinian entities, including official institutions, political factions, and civil society, to engage consistently and actively in defending prisoners’ rights in all international forums and to employ all available means of pressure to end violations against them.
Third, we call on the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and all human rights and humanitarian bodies in Arab and Islamic capitals to activate mechanisms dedicated to prisoners’ issues and to pursue accountability for those responsible for violations.
Fourth, we appeal to international humanitarian organizations to stand firmly for justice and human dignity by taking effective action to end ongoing violations and ensure protection for prisoners.
Fifth, we stress the importance of sustained media coverage, Palestinian and Arab, of prisoners’ conditions, documenting violations, informing international public opinion, and contributing to accountability efforts.
Salute to the steadfastness of our prisoners. Freedom for them all.
Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Advocacy
Friday, April 17, 2026
