Nearly 9,000 Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails: Israeli NGO

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - An Israeli rights group revealed Thursday that the number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails nears 9,000, including a portion of those arrested in Gaza.

HaMoked said the figures obtained by Israeli prison authorities indicate that "8,926 security inmates are held in prisons inside Israel."

It said as of February, the Israeli army holds in its prisons, 2,084 Palestinian who were sentenced and 2,752 as remanded prisoners.

The group added that there are 3,484 held under Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial.

HaMoked noted that Israel is holding 606 Palestinians from Gaza under the "unlawful combatants" classification, arrested by the army inside Gaza in the course of its onslaught or from areas around Gaza during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

It noted that it depended on figures provided by the Israel Prison Service.

"Israel's treatment of security inmates violates their rights to equality, dignity, family life, education, and more, in contravention of international law," said HaMoked.

While still there is no official figure provided by Israeli authorities on the number of Palestinians detained from Gaza as of Oct. 7, it is estimated that 2,500 have since been arrested from Gaza.

The army said Wednesday it detained 2,990 Palestinians from areas across the West Bank since Oct. 7, including 1,350 accused of being members of the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.