Dear friends,
This is a very complex time for us all, as we closely follow the gradual implementation of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners. Everything hangs in the balance. In the statement we published at the beginning of the week, we emphasized that the release of the Israeli hostages in the first phase of the agreement is a vital step, ending a long period of incarceration by Hamas in harsh conditions. We hope that the remaining Israeli hostages will also be released after suffering from violence, torture, and inhumane conditions. Those who have survived can then begin the process of rehabilitation, while those who died will at least receive a dignified burial. The release of Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement is another significant step, reducing the number of those imprisoned in prisons and army camps, where they have faced a vindictive policy of torture, degrading and cruel treatment, enforced disappearances, and the denial of the right to a fair trial.
In our statement, we also recognized that the ceasefire is only the beginning of a long process. Justice and rehabilitation must be ensured for all the victims on both sides, and independent mechanisms must be established to examine human rights violations during the war – including ones that led to the deaths of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees – and to bring those responsible to justice.
>> Read our full statement here
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Just before the declaration of the ceasefire and the prisoner exchange, Israel revealed in an update statement (issued as part of the Court’s hearing of PCATI’s petition) that between October and December 2024, alongside the military operation in the northern Gaza Strip, approximately 1,315 new prisoners from Gaza were admitted to Israeli detention facilities. Thus the number of prisoners increased by approximately 50% in just two months. The state’s announcement also admitted that of the 3,400 detainees from Gaza, about 500 have not yet received a permanent detention order. In other words, the military commander has not yet checked whether they are actually “illegal combatants” and what the justification is for their detention is. Another 500 detainees have been prevented from meeting with an attorney by order of the official responsible according to the law.
The alarming numbers revealed in the state's announcement in response to our petition prove that the Sde Teman has resumed full operation, as have other facilities, such as Ofer and Anatot, where thousands of new detainees are being held in inhumane and life-threatening conditions and are exposed to severe abuse. The long delays in issuing a permanent detention order mean that many detainees are being held in these conditions without justification for protracted periods of time.
Even if the current exchange deal is fully completed, thousands of detainees from Gaza and the West Bank will remain in Israel. Many of them will likely continue to be held in military detention facilities that have become infamous. Accordingly, we stressed the urgent and immediate need to expand the protection of the thousands of Palestinians who remain in detention through independent monitoring mechanisms, particularly by the Red Cross, and to allow them to renew contact with their families. These steps are essential for the rehabilitation of both societies, for shaping a reality in which human rights are observed without reservation, and for ensuring that the horrors of the past year will not be repeated.
>> For the full coverage of the topic @ Ha'aretz; The Jerusalem Post; Ynet
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Even in this complex period, we in PCATI, together with our partners in civil society and in the human rights community in Israel and around the world, will continue to act resolutely to protect human rights and promote the values of justice. This commitment stands firm in normal times, during emergencies, and now, too, when we face increasing attempts by the government and others to curtail our activities and silence us. We will continue to work for a reality in which human dignity and humanity are supreme values. We do so for the sake of all of us, Israelis and Palestinians alike.
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Yours,
Tal Steiner
Executive Director, PCATI
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