RAMALLAH, March 8, 2025 (WAFA) – On International Women’s Day, the Israeli occupation continues to detain 21 Palestinian female prisoners who are subjected to systematic and organized crimes in Israeli prisons and interrogation centers. These abuses have escalated since the beginning of the Israeli genocide in Gaza in October 2023, which marked the deadliest phase in the history of the Palestinian people.
The Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners Society outlined the key issues related to the detention conditions of Palestinian women in Israeli prisons in a joint report marking International Women’s Day.
The report underscored that all forms of abuse faced by the female prisoners fall under varying levels of torture, starvation, systematic medical neglect, sexual assault, repeated raids of their cells, theft, deprivation, and psychological torture from the moment of their arrest.
The report further emphasized that the targeting of women, including the widespread use of detentions, is not an exceptional phase, but rather an ongoing practice. The most significant change lies in the level of crimes committed against them.
Since October 2023, prisoner advocacy institutions have documented 490 cases of female detentions, including minors. This includes women detained in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and those from 1948-occupied lands. The exact number of women detained from Gaza remains unclear.
According to the report, among the detainees are two young girls, one of whom is just 12 years old, 12 mothers, one pregnant in her third month, two administrative detainees, six teachers, a journalist who is a media student, and several sick prisoners, including one suffering from cancer. Additionally, two women have been detained since before October 7, 2023, and the Israeli occupation refuses to include them in prisoner exchange deals.
