The Arab Parliament has called for the formation of an international fact-finding mission to visit Israeli prisons and investigate the severe and inhumane violations experienced by Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
In a statement on the occasion of Palestinian Prisoner’s Day, which falls on April 17 each year, the Arab Parliament urged the international community, the United Nations, international and regional institutions, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to initiate serious international action. This action aims to pressure the occupation to immediately release these innocent prisoners and to compel adherence to international law and provide the necessary protection under the Fourth Geneva Convention, holding the occupation fully responsible for the lives of Palestinian prisoners.
The statement highlighted that this year’s Prisoner’s Day coincides with the severe escalation pursued by the occupation through a brutal aggression on Gaza, a war of genocide, and ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people. It also noted the escalation by the extreme right-wing government against Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where the number of detainees in the occupation’s prisons in the West Bank had exceeded 9,000 since October 7, 2023. The occupation dismisses international agreements and laws, amidst the international community’s silence, which has failed to act to prevent these aggressive and criminal practices against the defenseless Palestinian people.
The Arab Parliament reaffirmed its full solidarity with Palestinian prisoners, sending them a salute of honor and appreciation for their precious sacrifices and their heroic steadfastness in pursuit of their freedom, defending their just cause, and building their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
HaMoked, an Israeli human rights organization, reports that over 9,000 Palestinians are currently incarcerated in Israeli jails, with many arrests occurring in the occupied West Bank due to extensive military raids since October 7. Additionally, an undisclosed number of individuals from Gaza are detained in military facilities.
The group also states that over 3,500 of these detainees are held without formal charges under administrative detention—a practice that has escalated since the conflict intensified. Prior to the escalation on October 7, about 1,300 were held under such conditions, based on data from Israel’s prison service.
Concerns about the treatment of these detainees have prompted investigations by rights groups, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), and independent UN experts. According to UNRWA, testimonials from released detainees reveal severe abuses, including beatings, theft, humiliation, and denial of legal and medical services, ostensibly to coerce confessions or information, and as means of intimidation and punishment.
These revelations have drawn scrutiny towards UNRWA itself, following allegations involving its staff in the events of October 7.