The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club has condemned the Israeli occupation for transforming administrative detention into what it describes as a de facto life sentence. This practice involves indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial based on undisclosed “secret files,” denying detainees and their lawyers access to any evidence against them. The organisation stated that this systematic abuse has stolen the lives of thousands of Palestinians, turning a temporary measure into a permanent tool of oppression.
As of early January, the number of administrative detainees has soared to 3,376, including 95 children and 22 women. This figure accounts for 32% of the total Palestinian prisoner population in Israeli prisons, which exceeds 10,400 individuals. Human rights organisations have documented this as the highest percentage of administrative detainees in history. Before the genocidal war on Gaza, which began on October 7, 2023, the number of administrative detainees had already reached 1,320, reflecting a steady rise under Israel’s most extreme settler-led government.
The Prisoners’ Club has highlighted the inhumane conditions faced by detainees, including torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which have led to multiple deaths. Since October 7, 2023, 54 prisoners have been killed in Israeli prisons, including four administrative detainees: Omar Daraghmeh, Samih Alawi, Mohammed Al-Sabbar, and Mustafa Abu Ara. In many cases, the occupation authorities have withheld the bodies of these prisoners, compounding the suffering of their families.
Administrative detention targets all segments of Palestinian society, including students, journalists, women, human rights activists, lawyers, and former detainees. It is frequently used during periods of resistance and popular uprisings in the occupied Palestinian territories as a means of repression and intimidation. The occupation authorities often renew detention orders indefinitely, ensuring that many detainees remain imprisoned without trial for years.
This policy is not new but has intensified over decades of occupation. During the First Intifada in 1989, the number of administrative detainees exceeded 1,700, while during the Second Intifada in 2003, the figure reached around 1,140. The current surge in administrative detention, however, marks an unprecedented escalation, further weaponised under the guise of “security” by the Israeli government.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club has called for urgent international intervention to end the systematic use of administrative detention. It stressed that this practice is a flagrant violation of international law, turning an already oppressive system into a crime against humanity. The organisation urged the global community to hold Israel accountable for its actions and to demand justice for the thousands of Palestinians subjected to this ongoing atrocity.
