Attachments
UN Human Rights Office - OPT
Ramallah
1 Dec 2023
The UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is seriously concerned at the recent dramatic growth in the number of Palestinians arrested and detained by Israeli security forces across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
We are also alarmed that, two days ago, Israeli Forces killed two children in Jenin, including an eight-yearold boy shot in the back of his head as he ran away. Israeli Security Forces have killed 62 children in the West Bank since 7 October. This must end, and all those responsible for crimes against children must be held to account.
Since 7 October, more than 3,000 Palestinians have been arrested – including reportedly more than 160 in just the past six days, in many instances without any direct evidence of the commission of an offence. Prior to 7 October, approximately 5,000 Palestinians were in detention – including those convicted, detained on security charges and awaiting trial, or held in administrative detention without charge or trial. The number of Palestinians in administrative detention has reached a record high – 2,070 at the end of October.
The treatment of Palestinians during arrest, detention, and imprisonment is also deeply disturbing. Since 7 October, six Palestinian men have died while in Israeli custody – the highest number of cases reported in such a short time-period in decades. First-hand testimonies collected by the UN Human Rights Office appear consistent with numerous pictures and video clips published in recent weeks on social media by Israeli soldiers, depicting abuse and humiliation of Palestinians. The Office has also received worrying allegations that Palestinian inmates have been subjected to beatings and abuse by detention guards, with reports of male and female detainees threatened with rape in retaliation for the attacks of 7 October. The Israeli authorities have announced the opening of investigations into only a handful of those incidents, and the experience in the past has been of almost complete impunity in such cases.
The conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have reportedly deteriorated significantly. Detainees report severe overcrowding and severely restricted access to basic rights such as food, water and electricity, medical treatment, family visits and legal aid.
The massive rise in number of Palestinians arrested and detained, the number of reports of ill-treatment and humiliation suffered by those in custody, and the reported failure to adhere to basic due process raise serious questions about Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
In an already volatile situation, these measures are widely perceived as punitive and threaten to further deepen the crisis in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
As a matter of urgency, all cases of deaths in custody and allegations of torture and other ill-treatment must be investigated and accountability ensured. The Israeli authorities must end their practice of administrative detention and other forms of arbitrary detention. Detainees must be either promptly charged according to law and fairly tried in compliance with accepted international standards or promptly released.
Ends