Groups Urge Global Action for Gaza Detainees in Israeli Custody

Palestinian prisoners’ groups and human rights organizations called for urgent international intervention during a weekly sit-in outside the International Committee of the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City. Families and former detainees demanded protection for Gaza detainees held in Israeli prisons, investigation into torture reports, and disclosure of missing persons.

Participants warned that silence regarding captives in hidden sites intensifies family anguish significantly. They urged international humanitarian organizations to intensify efforts to reach these detainees and monitor their conditions closely. The appeal highlights growing concerns over the continued absence of clear information about many prisoners.

Nashat al-Wahidi from the Prisoners’ Committee called for coordinated legal efforts across Gaza, the West Bank, and the diaspora. He stressed the need to determine the fate of missing detainees and recover bodies of those who died in custody. Al-Wahidi noted that approximately 9,350 Palestinians were held in Israeli prisons at the beginning of September.

This figure includes 90 women and more than 350 children, alongside 3,176 administrative detainees held without charge. Another 1,393 are classified as unlawful combatants, though this excludes some Gaza detainees in military camps. Al-Wahidi reported that prisoners face torture, medical neglect, and solitary confinement while being denied family visits regularly.

Tehani Abu Duheir highlighted the case of twenty-one-year-old Moataz Nizam al-Atrash, whose death in Ofer Prison was announced on September 16. Held since October 2025 without charge, he reportedly had no prior health issues. She demanded full disclosure of his death circumstances and better monitoring for vulnerable detainees facing medical neglect.

Organizations state that 329 identified prisoners have died in custody since 1967, including 92 since October 2023. Israel withholds the bodies of 100 identified deceased prisoners. Groups urge the ICRC to secure access to all facilities, ensure adequate care, and work toward releasing detainees and returning remains to their grieving families immediately.