Palestinian rights groups report Israeli expansion of detention camps for Gaza detainees

​​​​​​​By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Israel is expanding detention camps for Gaza detainees -- the latest in the Naftali Camp in northern Israel, according to two Palestinian prisoner groups on Wednesday.

“Israeli authorities continue to establish new camps to detain thousands of Gaza residents, with the Naftali Camp now holding between 80 and 90 detainees,” the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a statement after a visit to three detainees who are being held at the camp.

Based on testimonies from detainees who were recently visited, the groups said Naftali is one of several camps established or repurposed during the current onslaught against the enclave.

“These camps operate alongside central prisons to accommodate the large number of detainees from Gaza,” they said.

The statement highlighted that conditions at the camps are uniformly harsh, as observed during multiple visits to different facilities. Detainees consistently report enduring systematic torture during interrogations and described harrowing experiences.

“Israeli forces used all available tools and infrastructure as instruments of abuse and mistreatment,” according to the statement.

The right groups emphasized the lack of clear data on the number of detainees, particularly those held at military camps. The Israeli prison authority announced in early December, however, that 1,772 individuals in camps who are classified as “unlawful combatants,” were detained at its facilities.

The two groups contend that hundreds remain forcibly disappeared.

Key detention centers for Gaza detainees include Sde Teiman in southern Israel, Anatot and Ofer in the central West Bank and Naftali, along with additional camps established near the Gaza Strip, said the statement.

Among the 1,772 detainees, the statement identified “four women held in Damon Prison and dozens of children detained at Megiddo Prison and Ofer Camp.”

The Palestinian groups condemned the “unprecedented brutality,” at the facilities, reporting that dozens of detainees have died in custody. They also accused Israeli forces of conducting field executions.

They cited official reports indicating that 29 detainees from Gaza are confirmed dead among 47 prisoners killed since the assault began Oct. 7, 2023.

The statement accused Israel of withholding the names of others who died in detention and barring the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting prisoners.

The groups also reported mass arrests in northern Gaza, estimating more than 1,000 detainees, including medical personnel.

Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza following an attack by Hamas in October 2023, killing more than 44,530 victims, most of them women and children, and injuring over 105,500.

The second year of the genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions denouncing the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy the population

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio