Israeli authorities have dramatically increased their use of administrative detention a form of arbitrary detention of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank; extended emergency measures that facilitate inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners; and failed to investigate incidents of torture and death in custody over the past four weeks Amnesty International said on Thursday.
Since 7 October Israeli forces have detained more than 2200 Palestinian men and women according to the Palestinian Prisoner Club.
Between 1 October and 1 November the total number of Palestinians held in administrative detention without charge or trial rose from 1319 to 2070.
Testimony from released detainees and human rights lawyers as well as video footage and images illustrate some of the forms of torture and other ill-treatment prisoners have been subjected to by Israeli forces over the past four weeks. These include severe beatings and humiliation of detainees including by forcing them to keep their heads down to kneel on the floor during inmate count and to sing Israeli songs.
“Over the last month we have witnessed a significant spike in Israel’s use of administrative detention – detention without charge or trial that can be renewed indefinitely – which was already at a 20-year high before the latest escalation in hostilities on 7 October. Administrative detention is one of the key tools through which Israel has enforced its system of apartheid against Palestinians. Testimonies and video evidence also point to numerous incidents of torture and other ill-treatment by Israeli forces including severe beatings and deliberate humiliation of Palestinians who are detained in dire conditions” said Heba Morayef Amnesty’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
