NGO: Israel’s 11,000 Palestinian security prisoners breaks record

Administrative detention numbers have surged in Israel, now three times higher than during the Second Intifada, reports HaMoked.

The 11,040 Palestinian security prisoners are the most Israel has ever held, the NGO HaMoked said on Monday, using numbers it received from the Israel Prisons Service (IPS).

56% or6,239 of those prisoners are being held outside of standard criminal procedures, while 4,801 or 44% are being held in the context of standard criminal proceedings.

Of the 6,239, 3,577 are being held in administrative detention – also close to highs other than during the First Intifada of 1987-1991 – while 2,662 are being held as unlawful combatants.

The number of administrative detainees now dwarfs the number of Palestinians held during theSecond Intifada by around three times, when the numbers only broke the 1,000 level.

Even during the later years of the Second Intifada and duringthe Knife Intifada of 2015-2016, the number of administrative detainees was more in the 700 range.

In quieter years over the last two decades, the numbers were usually down, closer to 200-300 for a time, and in the Oslo period of the 1990s, the numbers dropped to single or double digits.

In addition, HaMoked estimated that there are a few hundred additional Palestinian Gazans being held by the Israeli military as unlawful combatants, something which has been fairly consistent during the war, either due to the time it takes to process and transfer them into IPS custody or because the IPS does not have enough cell space.

Neither administrative detainees nor unlawful combatants receive regular criminal proceedings, and both are highly criticized globally. But whereas administrative detainees have set rules, such as that their cases are reviewed by IDF judges usually every three to six months to potentially free them, unlawful combatants can potentially be held for longer, and there are less clear procedures about handling them.

Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank are more likely to be placed in administrative detention, while terrorists from Gaza are more likely to be declared unlawful combatants.

Israel justifies administrative detention, saying that there are terrorists who would be dangerous to release, but who could not be convicted in regular court proceedings without blowing the lid off intelligence sources and methods.

Hamas forces do not wear uniforms

Regarding unlawful combatants, Israel says that Hamas terrorists from Gaza are in some ways like enemies from a foreign state, but also do not deserve prisoner of war status because Hamas forces do not wear uniforms and target civilians in violation of the laws of war.

Critics say that Israel uses these categories in order to whitewash keeping Palestinians in prison for extended periods of time, who it cannot, or does not want to, take the trouble of bringing evidence against in court.

Besides the above Palestinians, thousands of Palestinian prisoners who Israel was holding at different points during the war have been released either because of a lack of cell space or in hostage exchange deals in late 2023 and earlier this year.

Thousands of Palestinians have also been indicted, convicted, and sentenced for terror crimes.