Jerusalem: The Palestinian Prisoners Club disclosed on Friday that Israeli occupation forces have detained over 19,000 individuals in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, 700 days into the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip.
According to Qatar News Agency, the club clarified that this number excludes arrests in Gaza, which are estimated to be in the thousands.
The club's statement detailed that the arrests encompass those who remain in detention and those who have been released. It highlighted that over 585 women have been detained since the beginning of the conflict, including those from territories occupied in 1948. This figure does not account for women detained in Gaza, estimated to be in the dozens. Additionally, at least 1,550 children have been reportedly arrested in the West Bank.
The report also noted that at least 77 detainees have died in Israeli prisons and camps since the onset of hostilities. Among these, 46 were from Gaza, while the Israeli authorities continue to withhold the bodies of 74 detainees. The club emphasized the absence of precise data on the number of Gazan detainees in Israeli facilities.
The only official figure available, provided by the Israeli Prison Service, states that 2,662 Palestinians are currently held in prisons and detention centers. Nonetheless, the club contested these figures, suggesting the presence of thousands more civilians who are either detained or have disappeared.