Executive Summary

This report documents the most significant statistical indicators and human rights developments related to the situation of Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities during June 2026, amid the continued use of large-scale arrest policies, administrative detention, starvation, medical neglect, isolation, and repression inside prisons.

The available data at the time of drafting show that the number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees remained at a high level, exceeding 9,400 prisoners and detainees distributed across 23 prisons, detention centers, and interrogation facilities. This total includes 99 female prisoners, including three pregnant women, four girls, and two prisoners with cancer, according to the available data, as well as more than 350 children and minors.

The occupation authorities also continued to hold more than 3,244 Palestinians under administrative detention, and 1,320 detainees from the Gaza Strip classified as “unlawful combatants.”

During June 2026, 466 arrest and re-arrest cases were recorded, including 13 children, 10 women - among them four university students - and 25 released prisoners who were re-arrested, in addition to a range of professional and social groups such as teachers, farmers, fishermen, students, academics, heads of local councils, and a groom arrested at his wedding hall. During the same period, 554 administrative detention orders and renewals were recorded.

Documented incidents during the month indicate a continued deterioration in conditions in several prisons, particularly Damon, Negev, Gilboa, Ofer, Janot, and Rakevet/Ramla. Repeated raids, assaults, denial of medical treatment, the spread of skin diseases, shortages of food and hygiene materials, confiscation of religious and personal belongings, and restrictions on legal visits have become recurrent. These practices have turned detention conditions into a punitive environment that undermines prisoners’ human dignity and physical and psychological integrity.

The month also witnessed serious developments related to deaths of prisoners and detainees in custody or the disclosure of their fate after periods of enforced disappearance, including the deceased prisoner Imad Rajeh Sarhan, the deceased prisoner Saber al-Ameital, and the deceased detainee Majdi Abu Arra, whose death was announced after his fate had been forcibly concealed for a year and a half without disclosure of the date or circumstances of his death.

These cases reaffirm the legal responsibility of the occupation authorities for the life and safety of all persons under their effective control.

Report Methodology and Notes on Reading the Figures

The report adopts a documentary methodology that combines statistical monitoring with human rights analysis of arrests of Palestinians during June 2026, while comparing a number of core indicators with May 2026, where comparable data are available.

The report is based on daily monitoring of arrest and re-arrest campaigns in the West Bank and Jerusalem, as well as on data and statistics issued by prisoners’ rights institutions and relevant human rights and media sources. It also relies on testimonies and statements regarding detention conditions and violations inside prisons, alongside the documentation work undertaken by the International Commission to Support Palestinian Prisoners (Tadamun).

Wherever possible, the report cross-checks information from more than one source, taking into account the constraints on access to information, particularly in relation to detainees from the Gaza Strip, and relying on the most up-to-date data available at the time of drafting.

Methodological notes necessary for reading the indicators

• The figures reflect the best available data up to the date of drafting the report or the latest update, and remain subject to change due to restrictions on access to information, the multiplicity of update sources, and the occupation authorities’ withholding of much of the data related to Gaza detainees and their conditions of detention.
• With regard to the number of deceased prisoners whose identities are known, the figure is limited to cases whose identities and deaths have been announced; it does not include cases whose identities have not yet been disclosed or whose deaths could not yet be verified.
• For sick prisoners, the report uses the expression “hundreds, according to the estimates of specialized institutions and available data,” in the absence of an official, publicly accessible medical registry.
• Overall indicators refer to the total number of prisoners and detainees at the time of the latest update; they should not be read as the sum of the various sub-categories.
• Legal-status indicators include prisoners serving life sentences, prisoners serving fixed-term sentences, remand detainees, administrative detainees, and Gaza detainees classified as “unlawful combatants.”
• Sub-category indicators - such as women, children, sick prisoners, journalists, academics, and former prisoners who have been re-arrested - may overlap with legal-status categories and are therefore not aggregated with the overall total.
• Dynamic monthly indicators include monthly arrests, administrative detention orders, releases, and documented cases of health deterioration or repression inside prisons. By their nature, these indicators are subject to later updates.

 

General Statistical Indicators of Palestinian Detention

By the end of June 2026, the available data reveal the following indicators:

Indicator	Number / Description
Total number of prisoners and detainees	More than 9,400
Prisons and detention/interrogation centers	23 facilities
Number of female prisoners	99 prisoners, including 3 pregnant women, 4 girls, and two prisoners with cancer, according to the available data
Number of children and minors	More than 350 children and minors
Administrative detainees	More than 3,244
Prisoners serving life sentences	115
Prisoners serving fixed-term sentences	1,421
Remand detainees / awaiting trial	3,314
Gaza detainees classified as “unlawful combatants”	1,320
Deceased prisoners whose identities are known	336; this figure does not include cases whose identities have not yet been announced or verified
Deceased prisoners after 7 October 2023	More than 100, of whom 91 have been identified so far, according to the available data from prisoners’ institutions
Sick prisoners	Hundreds, according to the estimates of specialized institutions and available data, including chronic and serious cases

 

These indicators highlight the continued expansion of prolonged detention, the extensive use of administrative detention, and the use of exceptional legal frameworks for Gaza detainees. They also point to the rising number of female prisoners and the continued high number of sick prisoners in the absence of an official, publicly accessible medical registry.

 

 

 

Comparative Table between the Indicators of May and June 2026

Indicator	May 2026	June 2026	Brief human rights reading
Total number of prisoners and detainees	Around 9,500	More than 9,400	The overall figure remains at a high level, with the wording of updates fluctuating between “around” and “more than.”
Prisons and detention / interrogation centers	23	23	The declared scope of the detention system remains unchanged.
Number of female prisoners	90, including 3 pregnant women	99, including 3 pregnant women, 4 girls, and two prisoners with cancer	A clear rise in the number of female prisoners, alongside the continued detention of pregnant women, girls, and sick prisoners.
Number of children and minors	More than 360	More than 350	The indicator remains high and reflects the continued targeting of children and minors.
Administrative detainees	3,324	More than 3,244	Administrative detention continues on a wide scale despite any monthly numerical changes.
Prisoners serving life sentences	115	115	The available figure remains stable.
Prisoners serving fixed-term sentences	1,335	1,421	An increase in the number of prisoners serving fixed-term sentences.
Remand detainees / awaiting trial	3,386	3,314	A large number of prisoners remain within the trajectory of trial or pre-trial detention.
Gaza detainees classified as “unlawful combatants”	1,316	1,320	A slight increase, with the continued use of an exceptional framework of detention.
Deceased prisoners whose identities are known	327	336	A grave increase; the figure does not include unidentified or unverified cases.
Sick prisoners	Hundreds	Hundreds	The continued absence of an official medical registry open to verification.
Monthly cases of arrest and re-arrest	477	466	A limited decrease, while monthly arrest figures remain high.
Administrative detention orders and renewals	704	554	A numerical decrease compared with May, yet the indicator remains high and reflects the extensive use of detention without charge or trial.

 

Despite certain limited changes in numerical indicators compared with the previous month, the overall trend does not indicate a shift in the policies pursued. Rather, it reflects the persistence of high levels of arrest and administrative detention, with most core indicators remaining relatively stable. This points more to the consolidation of a pattern of violations than to a circumstantial fluctuation in their scale.

Arrests during June 2026

The total number of arrest and re-arrest cases recorded during June 2026 reached approximately 466, according to the available data. The geographical distribution of these cases was as follows:

Governorate / Area	Number of arrest and re-arrest cases
Nablus	89
Bethlehem	73
Hebron	71
Ramallah and Al-Bireh	54
Jenin	50
Jerusalem	35
Tulkarm	35
Qalqiliya	31
Salfit	13
Tubas	8
Gaza	5
Jericho	2
Total	466

 

The geographical distribution of arrests indicates a continued concentration of campaigns in governorates that are subject to frequent military incursions and wide-ranging field operations, particularly Nablus, Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, and Ramallah/Al-Bireh. This pattern reflects the linkage between arrest policy and the prevailing security and military context, whereby arrest campaigns are repeatedly used as a measure accompanying incursions and military operations rather than solely as a response to specific individual charges. At the same time, the extension of arrests to various governorates shows that they remain a tool applied across a broad geographical scope, affecting diverse social groups.

The arrests during the month covered multiple categories, including:

• 13 children.
• 10 women, including four university students.
• 25 released prisoners who were re-arrested.
• Two mothers of prisoners, three doctors, schoolteachers, a sheikh, an injured person, five farmers, four fishermen, a secondary-school student, a university student, a mayor, a municipal council chair, a deputy head of a village council, a blind person, an academic serving as head of the Department of Political Science at Hebron University, and a groom arrested at his wedding hall.

These categories indicate that arrest has continued to function as a tool affecting the various structures of Palestinian society - including children, women, students, academics, workers, local bodies, and released prisoners - within a broader context of collective punishment and the dismantling of social ties.

General Trends during June 2026

• The continuation of large-scale arrests across the West Bank and Jerusalem, with the monthly number of arrests remaining high.
• The continued use of administrative detention and the renewal of detention orders against women, patients, released prisoners, and guards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, without indictments being filed.
• An escalation of repression inside prisons, particularly in Damon, Negev, Gilboa, Ofer, Janot, and Rakevet/Ramla.
• The worsening of medical neglect and the spread of skin diseases, especially scabies and fungal infections, amid the absence of adequate treatment and the limited availability of hygiene materials.
• The use of food deprivation, denial of basic necessities, hygiene supplies, and blankets as tools of pressure and punishment.
• The continued isolation of prisoners from independent humanitarian oversight, including restrictions on visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross and on the provision of information to families.
• The persistence of risks associated with the detention of Gaza detainees under the classification of “unlawful combatants,” along with restrictions on communication with lawyers and families and on independent monitoring.
• Repeated indicators showing that the release of prisoners and detainees reveals the scale of physical harm caused by detention, especially in cases of severe health collapse and extreme emaciation after release.

These trends confirm that the Israeli detention system no longer functions merely as a mechanism for deprivation of liberty. Rather, it has become a complex punitive environment in which isolation, starvation, medical neglect, repression, and deprivation of oversight are used as continuous tools to subjugate Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

Patterns of Violations within the Israeli Detention System

1. Damon Prison: Repression of female prisoners and violations of privacy and religious rights

During June, Damon Prison witnessed an escalation in repressive measures against female prisoners through intensified raids and violent searches of cells at different times of the day and night, accompanied by verbal abuse and continuous humiliation.

Living conditions inside the prison also deteriorated amid a severe shortage of cleaning materials and basic necessities, a reduction in blankets, and the confiscation of skirts and prayer garments belonging to female prisoners, thereby restricting their religious practice and deepening their sense of violation and degradation.

Female prisoners also reported that male guards circulated inside the section during nighttime and sleeping hours, while solitary confinement continued to be used as a punitive tool. These practices constitute an assault on human dignity and privacy and violate the standards specifically designed to protect women detainees, particularly the Bangkok Rules and the Nelson Mandela Rules.

In terms of health, the conditions of several female prisoners continued to deteriorate, including prisoner Shatila Abu Ayada, who requires urgent medical follow-up due to a sharp rise in liver enzymes, and the ailing prisoner Suhair Zaqqiq, who suffers from cancer and continuous bleeding, amid ongoing medical neglect and denial of appropriate care.

2. Negev Prison: Spread of disease and deprivation of basic necessities

The available data indicate a continued deterioration in the conditions of prisoners inside Negev Prison as a result of medical neglect and shortages of basic necessities. Scabies and fungal infections spread widely among prisoners in the absence of adequate treatment and amid delayed healthcare, leaving sick prisoners to endure prolonged suffering without effective intervention.

Prisoners also face acute shortages of clothing, blankets, and hygiene supplies, along with limited cleaning tools and personal-care items, and some have reportedly been forced to sleep on the floor. Poor food quality and insufficient quantities have led to significant weight loss, while copies of the Qur’an remain scarce and access to the prison yard is irregular.

In a particularly dangerous development, prisoners were punished by being left for long hours under the scorching sun following episodes of tension inside the prison. This occurred alongside the reduction of the daily exercise period (“fawra”) to half an hour every two days and the continuation of raids and close surveillance of prisoners’ conversations. These measures amount to cruel and degrading treatment and violate the rights to health, physical safety, and dignity.

3. Gilboa, Janot, and Ofer: Medical neglect, restrictions on treatment, and legal visits

In Gilboa Prison, sick prisoners were denied necessary medicines and treatment, despite the presence of cases requiring surgery and medical equipment that were not adequately provided. Weight loss exceeding ten kilograms was also recorded among a number of prisoners as a result of poor living conditions and the lack of basic necessities.

In Janot Prison, several prisoners complained of severe tooth and gum pain amid ongoing delays in treatment and the absence of regular medical follow-up, alongside poor food quality and a shortage of essential supplies, all of which aggravated their health conditions.

In Ofer Prison, the data point to a dangerous deterioration in humanitarian conditions, including the spread of severe itching, fungal infections, and fleas, with prisoners’ bodies turning red as a result of persistent scratching and the absence of treatment. The prison administration also continued to prohibit the entry of necessary treatment and imposed harsher transfer procedures, including moving prisoners with their hands shackled behind their backs and escorted by masked prison officers.

The installation of surveillance cameras inside legal meeting rooms and the shortening of such visits raise serious concerns about violations of the confidentiality of the prisoner-lawyer relationship and restrictions on prisoners’ ability to communicate their suffering and detention conditions, thereby undermining the right to defense and legal oversight of places of detention.

4. Rakevet/Ramla and Gaza detainees: Isolation, repression, and pressure to withdraw complaints

The Rakevet section in Ramla Prison, an underground section designated for a number of Gaza prisoners, witnessed a dangerous escalation of repression and abuse, particularly after prisoners submitted complaints against the prison administration concerning assaults, torture, and other violations.

Repression units carried out violent raids on the sections using police dogs, tear gas, batons, and sticks, resulting in multiple injuries, including broken teeth, injuries to the limbs, and bruises across different parts of the body.

Prisoners were also subjected to pressure and threats aimed at forcing them to withdraw their complaints, in addition to practices involving surveillance of their conversations with lawyers and attempts to erase evidence of violations. These incidents indicate a closed and dangerous detention environment in which the risks of torture, ill-treatment, and deprivation of effective legal safeguards are significantly heightened.

5. The targeting of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and humanitarian workers

During the month, the continued targeting of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya emerged as part of a broader pattern affecting humanitarian workers and Gaza detainees. The appeal submitted against his continued detention under the so-called “Unlawful Combatant Law” was rejected, despite the fact that he remains detained without a clear charge or a publicly declared indictment.

The available information indicates that, since his arrest, he has been subjected to abuse and psychological pressure, most recently through solitary confinement in the cells of Nafha Prison. His continued detention under this exceptional framework reflects the danger of using the classification of “unlawful combatants” to undermine basic legal guarantees and impose prolonged detention insulated from effective oversight.

6. The isolation of prisoners from independent humanitarian oversight

Throughout the month, legal and human rights debate continued regarding the right of the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit Palestinian prisoners and convey information about their conditions to their families. Regardless of the legal proceedings, the practical result remained the continued isolation of prisoners from independent humanitarian oversight, particularly Gaza detainees.

Preventing or obstructing independent international visits deprives prisoners of one of the most important safeguards inside detention facilities, increases the risks of torture, ill-treatment, and enforced disappearance, and deprives families of their right to know the fate of their relatives and their health and legal status.

Administrative Detention as a Tool of Open-ended Incarceration

During June 2026, a total of 554 administrative detention orders and renewals were recorded, according to the data available up to the date of drafting the report. Despite any numerical change compared with May, this indicator remains high and confirms the continued use of administrative detention as a widely used tool of incarceration without charge or trial.

Among the most prominent documented cases during the month were the following:

Case	Details
Ahlam Ishtayeh	She was transferred from the town of Salem, east of Nablus, to administrative detention for four months without an indictment after being arrested on 25 May 2026.
Asim and Abd al-Salam Abu al-Hija	Their administrative detention was renewed for an additional three months in Jenin.
Abd al-Rahman al-Sharif and Mahdi al-Abbasi	Administrative detention was renewed against the two Al-Aqsa Mosque guards for an additional four months.
Mutasim Tayseer Samara	His administrative detention from Tulkarm was renewed for four months; he has been detained for approximately two and a half years.
Suhair Zaqqiq	The sick female prisoner from Beit Ummar/Hebron had her administrative detention renewed for four months for the third consecutive time.
Samah Bilal Hajawi	Her administrative detention from Qalqilya was extended for the third time for an additional six months.
Shaimaa Fathi Khazem	Her administrative detention from Jenin camp was renewed for the fourth consecutive time for a period of three months.

 

This pattern constitutes a direct violation of the right to liberty and security of person and the right to a fair trial, as it allows the prolongation of deprivation of liberty without a clear charge or an effective opportunity to challenge the evidence. The danger of administrative detention becomes even more acute when it targets women, patients, children, guards of holy sites, and released prisoners.

Military Sentences and Judicial Prosecution

June witnessed the continued issuance of military court sentences against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, reflecting the continued use of the military judicial system to prosecute student, journalistic, social, and political activism.

Name / Case	Judicial decision or process	Human rights significance
Ahmad Hussam Khader	Sentenced by the Ofer Military Court to 18 months’ imprisonment and a fine of 2,000 shekels on charges of “incitement,” after repeated postponements of his hearings.	Targeting student activism and expanding the use of the charge of “incitement.”
Bayan al-Jaaba	Sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment after more than 16 months of house arrest, with the prosecution relying on social media posts and images.	Restricting journalistic work and freedom of expression, and continuing to use house arrest as a punitive tool.
Yamama Ibrahim Hreinat	Final sentence of 14 months’ imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 shekels.	Targeting female university students and depriving them of education.
Ahmad Sajdiyya	Sentenced to 18 and a half years’ imprisonment; he is a Jerusalemite prisoner from Qalandia camp.	The continuation of lengthy sentences within a judicial system that lacks adequate safeguards.
Mustafa Samir Al-Zeer	The 35th hearing following continuous detention since 2022, with a projected sentence of four years and a fine of 8,000 shekels, while confirmation of the sentence was postponed until 28 July 2026.	Prolonging proceedings and restricting legal certainty.

 

These cases confirm the continued reliance on military courts that lack fair-trial guarantees, independence, and impartiality, especially in cases related to expression, student activism, journalism, and social work.

 

 

 

 

 

Releases and the Effects of Detention after Release

June witnessed the release of a number of prisoners, including prisoners who had spent long periods in Israeli prisons, in addition to groups of Gaza prisoners who were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza by teams of the International Committee of the Red Cross for treatment. This provides a clear indication of the scale of health damage caused by detention conditions.

1. Documented individual releases

 

Released prisoner	Age / Town	Period of detention	Place / method of release or note	Human rights significance
Amin Omar Ziyad	46, Al-Bireh	24 continuous years	Individual release after a long sentence	Reflects the file of long-term prisoners and the need for medical and psychological follow-up after release.
Hassan Youssef	Not provided in the available data	Administrative detention since the early days of the war on Gaza in October 2023	Release after administrative detention	Highlights the danger of turning administrative detention into open-ended incarceration without trial.
Tariq Ibrahim Hussein Saleh	46, Jenin camp	23 years	Released at Al-Zahiriya checkpoint	Release after a lengthy sentence, requiring follow-up regarding the long-term effects of detention.
Abd al-Karim Samih Al-Rimawi	Beit Rima / northwest of Ramallah	25 continuous years	Individual release	Linked to the file of long-term prisoners and the effects of prolonged incarceration.
Ziyad Yaqub Hamouda	52, Rantis / northwest of Ramallah	Nearly a quarter of a century	Individual release	Release after prolonged detention requiring reintegration support and healthcare follow-up.

2. Collective releases from Gaza / transfer to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital

Reported number	Category / scope	Receiving or transfer destination	Verification note
15	Released prisoners from Gaza	Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital - Deir al-Balah; it was reported that they were released from Ofer Prison	Reported as part of the releases that continued after the stages of the “Toufan al-Ahrar” exchange deal.
3	Released prisoners from Gaza	Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital via teams of the International Committee of the Red Cross	Reported to have been released after detention in Israeli prisons.
7	Released prisoners from Gaza	Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital - Deir al-Balah	Reported as part of the continuing releases during the month.
13	Prisoners from Gaza	Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital accompanied by teams of the International Committee of the Red Cross	A documented collective release case within the available data.
14	Prisoners from Gaza	Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital via teams of the International Committee of the Red Cross	A documented collective release case within the available data.
13	Prisoners from Gaza	Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital via teams of the International Committee of the Red Cross	Reported as a later case in the available data and should not be automatically aggregated in the absence of a precise date.

 

3. Notable health-related cases after release

Case	Background	Health indicators after release	Human rights significance
Abdullah Shtat	From the town of Biddya, north of Salfit; released at Meitar crossing after 32 months of detention	He lost consciousness immediately after release, and signs of severe weakness were visible on him according to circulated footage and the available data.	Reveals the direct physical impact of starvation, ill-treatment, and deprivation of care inside detention.
Journalist Mujahid Bani Muflih	Six months after his release from Israeli prisons	He lost around 20 kilograms during detention, then suffered a severe cerebral hemorrhage two days after release, underwent complex surgeries, and now needs assistance with movement, mobility, swallowing, and speech.	Confirms that the harm of detention does not end with release, but extends to physical and psychological disability and the need for treatment, rehabilitation, and redress.

 

These documented post-release cases also reveal that the humanitarian effects of detention extend beyond the end of deprivation of liberty. A number of prisoners show clear signs of acute health deterioration after release, making post-release conditions part of the human rights assessment of detention conditions themselves rather than a separate phase.

Deaths in Detention and Enforced Disappearance

The number of deceased prisoners whose identities are known rose to 336 according to the available data up to the end of June 2026. This figure does not include cases whose identities have not been disclosed or could not yet be verified, particularly in light of restrictions imposed on information related to Gaza detainees.

1. Table of deaths / disclosures of fate during the month

 

Case	Age / area	Precise classification of the case	Core information	Required legal obligation
Imad Rajeh Sarhan	47, Haifa	Death in custody	He died inside Gilboa Prison after more than twenty years in Israeli prisons, amid harsh detention conditions and ongoing health suffering according to the available data.	Full disclosure of the circumstances of death and the medical file, and the opening of an independent and effective investigation.
Saber al-Ameital	21, the Negev	Death in Israeli custody	His death was recorded inside Israeli prisons, amid family statements indicating that he had not suffered from illnesses or health problems before his death.	Investigation into the circumstances of death, examination of allegations of assault or ill-treatment, and notification of the family of the results.
Majdi Abu Arra	24, Tubas Governorate	Disclosure of fate after concealment / withholding of information and retention of the body	His death was announced after his fate had been forcibly concealed for a year and a half, without adequate disclosure of the date and circumstances of death, and following legal efforts to determine his fate.	Disclosure of the date and circumstances of death, return of the body, and guarantee of the family’s right to truth, burial, and mourning.

 

2. Legal reading of the cases

The death of prisoners and detainees in custody, or the disclosure of their deaths after periods in which their fate was withheld, gives rise to direct legal responsibility on the detaining authority, which is obliged to protect the life of every person under its effective control and to conduct a prompt and independent investigation into any death occurring in places of detention.

In cases involving the withholding of information about fate or the retention of bodies, the violation does not stop at the right to life and the safety of the detained person. It extends to the family’s right to know the truth, the right to burial and mourning, and the prohibition of enforced disappearance and inhuman treatment against families.

Legal Framework

1. International humanitarian law

As an occupying power, Israel is bound by the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949, especially Article 27, which requires humane treatment of protected persons at all times and respect for their dignity; Article 32, which prohibits torture and cruel and inhuman treatment; and Article 33, which prohibits collective punishment and measures of intimidation or terrorism.

Article 76 of the Convention also obliges the occupying authorities to ensure that detainees from occupied territory are held within the occupied territory itself and to provide fundamental guarantees of fair trial, healthcare, and communication with families. Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions prohibits all forms of violence against life and physical integrity, torture, cruel treatment, and outrages upon personal dignity.

2. Prohibition of torture and ill-treatment

International law absolutely prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, pursuant to the Convention against Torture of 1984 and Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. No security or exceptional circumstance may be invoked to justify torture or ill-treatment.

Prohibited acts include beatings, abuse, humiliating strip searches, starvation, denial of treatment, prolonged isolation, threats, deliberate humiliation, and deprivation of basic necessities. When such acts occur in a widespread or organized manner within a detention system, they may trigger international criminal responsibility.

3. The right to liberty and a fair trial

Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees the right to liberty and security of person and prohibits arbitrary arrest or detention without a clear legal basis. Article 14 of the same Covenant also guarantees fair-trial safeguards, including the right to defense, access to evidence, trial before an independent and impartial judicial body, and an effective challenge to the lawfulness of detention.

Administrative detention, when used on a broad and repeated basis and without effective judicial oversight, constitutes a violation of these guarantees, especially when it targets children, women, patients, persons with disabilities, and released prisoners.

4. Healthcare and detention conditions

The Nelson Mandela Rules set out the minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners, including adequate food, healthcare, hygiene, protection of dignity, and the prohibition of cruel or degrading punishment. These rules affirm that healthcare inside detention facilities must be available without discrimination and that depriving prisoners of treatment, food, or hygiene may constitute cruel or inhuman treatment.

With respect to detained women, the Bangkok Rules provide special protection related to privacy, dignity, health needs, and care for pregnant women, and prohibit exposing women to violence, humiliation, or deprivation of their religious and personal needs.

5. Gaza detainees and the classification of “unlawful combatants”

The continued detention of Gaza detainees under the classification of “unlawful combatants” represents a grave undermining of basic legal guarantees, especially in light of restrictions on communication with lawyers and families, ambiguity surrounding the places and conditions of detention, and continued allegations of torture and ill-treatment. This pattern heightens the risks of enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention, and deprivation of the right to defense and a fair trial.

6. International criminal responsibility

Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, acts committed against Palestinian prisoners and detainees - including torture, cruel treatment, deliberate denial of fair-trial guarantees, starvation, and gross medical neglect - may constitute war crimes when committed in the context of occupation and armed conflict on a widespread or systematic basis. The death of prisoners in custody also gives rise to a legal obligation to open independent and effective investigations and to determine criminal, administrative, and political responsibility.

Recommendations

In light of the information contained in this report, the International Commission to Support Palestinian Prisoners (Tadamun) calls for the following:

First: To the Israeli occupation authorities

• The immediate release of all detainees held arbitrarily and the cessation of the use of administrative detention without charge or trial.
• The suspension of the use of the classification of “unlawful combatants” against Gaza detainees, disclosure of their places of detention, and enabling them to communicate with their lawyers and families.
• Ensuring adequate healthcare for sick and injured prisoners, establishing an official medical registry that is publicly disclosed and available for verification, and allowing independent doctors to examine critical cases.
• Ending the policy of starvation and deprivation of adequate food, hygiene materials, blankets, and clothing, and ensuring detention conditions that meet international minimum standards.
• Ending assaults, raids, solitary confinement, threats, and reprisals against prisoners because of complaints or communication with lawyers.
• Ensuring special protection for female prisoners, especially pregnant women and sick detainees, and respecting privacy, dignity, health needs, religious needs, and personal needs.
• Guaranteeing prisoners’ right to confidential and effective legal meetings and ending any measures that violate the confidentiality of lawyer-client communication.

Second: To the International Committee of the Red Cross

• Intensifying efforts to ensure the resumption of regular visits to all places of detention, including facilities holding Gaza detainees.
• Continuing to provide humanitarian information to families and regularly monitoring the health and humanitarian conditions of prisoners.

Third: To the United Nations and its relevant mechanisms

• Opening independent and effective international investigations into violations committed inside places of detention, including deaths in custody, enforced disappearance, and torture.
• Continuing to monitor the situation of Palestinian prisoners within the special procedures of the Human Rights Council and strengthening monitoring and periodic reporting mechanisms.

Fourth: To the International Criminal Court

• Including violations committed against Palestinian prisoners and detainees within ongoing investigations, including torture, gross medical neglect, denial of fair-trial guarantees, and deaths in custody.

Fifth: To the States Parties to the Geneva Conventions

• Fulfilling their obligation to ensure respect for the Geneva Conventions, taking practical measures to prevent the continuation of grave violations committed against Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and supporting international accountability efforts.

Conclusion

The indicators for June 2026 confirm that the conditions of Palestinian prisoners and detainees continue to deteriorate within the Israeli detention system, where widespread arrests intersect with administrative detention, the detention of Gaza detainees under exceptional frameworks, declining healthcare, the spread of disease, starvation, repression, and isolation from humanitarian oversight.

These facts do not represent isolated incidents. Rather, they reveal a recurring pattern of violations that strikes at the core of the protection afforded by international law to persons deprived of their liberty. The gravity of this pattern increases in light of the rising number of deceased prisoners whose identities are known, the continued concealment or withholding of information concerning the fate of a number of detainees, and the visible severe effects of detention on prisoners’ bodies after release.

Accordingly, the protection of Palestinian prisoners and detainees is no longer merely an urgent humanitarian matter. It is an international legal responsibility that requires urgent intervention, independent oversight, effective investigations, and serious accountability to ensure that those responsible for these violations do not enjoy impunity.

References and Sources of Information

This report draws on a set of documentary, legal, and human rights sources, including the following:

• Daily monitoring and documentation carried out by the International Commission to Support Palestinian Prisoners (Tadamun) concerning arrest campaigns, the conditions of prisoners and detainees, and violations inside places of detention.
• Periodic statements and statistical releases issued by the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, including monthly data related to the number of prisoners and detainees, arrests, administrative detention, and conditions inside prisons.
• Statements and reports issued by Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, HaMoked - Center for the Defence of the Individual, and other specialized human rights organizations, depending on the subject matter of each case.
• Documented testimonies and statements related to detention conditions, health conditions, and violations inside prisons, which were cross-checked on the basis of the available sources.
• Legal follow-up of military court decisions, administrative detention orders, detention-renewal decisions, and related judicial statements.
• Official data published by the Israel Prison Service, where available, and cross-checked against independent human rights sources in light of the restrictions imposed on access to information.
• Media monitoring of relevant Palestinian, Israeli, and international sources related to the prisoners’ file, with reliance on information that could be verified or cross-checked with other sources.
• The rules and provisions of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention against Torture, the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), the Bangkok Rules, and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.