Report: Mass Abductions, Torture, Enforced Disappearances

Palestinian Prisoners Day Poster — There are currently nearly 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails in Israel and the occupied territory, according to prisoners’ rights group Addameer. (Al Jazeera.) (source)

Reposted from IMEMC, August 04, 2025

A joint report issued by the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association has revealed a serious escalation in the mass abduction of Palestinians and accompanying violations since the beginning of the genocide in Gaza in October 2023.

According to the report, approximately 18,500 Palestinians have been abducted across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem since the genocide began, part of a systematic campaign targeting civilians under the pretext of security operations.

Women and Children Among the Abducted

The number of women abducted has reached around 570, including individuals from Gaza, the West Bank, and the 1948-occupied territories.

This figure excludes dozens of women forcibly disappeared from Gaza, where access to information is still obstructed.

In parallel, at least 1,500 children have been abducted across the West Bank, prompting alarm from human rights organizations over breaches of international conventions protecting minors.

Journalists Silenced Through Detention

More than 194 journalists have been abducted, with 49 still imprisoned. Many of these cases are viewed as attempts to suppress documentation of abuses and silence independent reporting.

Torture, Destruction, and Human Shield Tactics

The report highlights a pattern of grave abuse accompanying abduction operations:

Beatings and torture
Threats against abductees and their families
Systematic invasions and violations, including home demolitions
Seizure of vehicles, personal belongings, and valuables
Destruction of infrastructure in refugee camps, notably in Jenin and Tulkarem
Use of civilians, including children and family members, as human shields and hostages

Mass Abductions and Enforced Disappearances

The wave of abductions includes individuals taken from their homes, at military roadblocks, coerced into surrender under duress after the army abducted members of their families and held them as hostages.

Thousands of Gaza workers present in the 1948-occupied areas with legal permits were abducted, alongside hundreds from Gaza who were in the West Bank for medical treatment, or for work.

Field executions have also been reported, including among family members of detainees.

Deaths in Custody and Withheld Remains

Since October 7, at least 75 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody, with 46 confirmed as Gaza detainees.

Many others remain forcibly disappeared, their identities and causes of death unacknowledged.

Israel continues to hold the bodies of 72 prisoners, bringing the total number of withheld martyrs to 83.

Detainee Statistics – July 2025

As of July 2025, the total number of Palestinians imprisoned stands at 10,800, the highest recorded since the Second Intifada. This figure excludes individuals held in prison camps run by the Israeli army.

Administrative and “Unlawful Combatant” Detainees: July 2025

As of early July 2025, the number of administrative detainees held by Israeli authorities has reached 3,629, the highest recorded figure to date.

This category, which allows for detention without charge or trial, now exceeds all other classifications, including those formally indicted, sentenced, or labeled as “unlawful combatants.”

The number of detainees classified as “unlawful combatants” stands at 2,454, though this figure does not include most Gaza detainees held in Israeli military camps.

This is the largest documented count since the onset of Israel’s genocidal campaign. The classification also encompasses Arab detainees from Lebanon and Syria.

These figures exclude individuals subjected to enforced disappearance or held in Israeli military camps, particularly from Gaza.
These figures encompass both those still held and those who were later released. The numbers remain fluid due to ongoing abduction campaigns.
Due to ongoing genocide, destruction, and siege in Gaza, data regarding the number of detainees from the coastal enclave is still scarce.
By mid-December of 2024, the number of detainees who were abducted in the Gaza Strip was estimated to be 3,436.

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