GAZA, August 30, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) confirmed that the Israeli occupation continues to commit the crime of enforced disappearance, which has been a prominent aspect of the ongoing aggression for nearly two years, affecting thousands of Gazans.
This crime has escalated particularly since the occupation forces launched a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, with children and women among the victims.
In a statement issued on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, which falls on August 30, the PPS added that this crime provided the most prominent cover for the horrific torture crimes perpetrated against Gaza detainees, which led to the killing of dozens.
It also emphasized that, two years after the war, relevant institutions still face a major challenge in obtaining accurate and clear data on the numbers of detainees in Gaza and those who have died in detention.
The PPS denounced the Israeli's judicial system in entrenching the crime of enforced disappearance by legitimizing torture against Gaza detainees, by detaining thousands of them under the "Unlawful Combatant Law" passed by the Knesset in 2002, which provided cover for widespread torture.
He highlighted that the amendments made to the "Unlawful Combatant Law" at the beginning of the war also contributed to entrenching the crime of enforced disappearance, along with the occupation's refusal to disclose any information regarding Gaza detainees or their numbers.
In light of this, a group of human rights organizations submitted several petitions to the Israeli Supreme Court to reveal the identities of the detainees and their places of detention. However, the court proved, each time, to be a key lever in entrenching crimes against Palestinians.
The PPS said that the occupation's judicial system played a central role in entrenching the crime of enforced disappearance and the use of torture against Gaza detainees, by legitimizing the detention of thousands of them under the "Unlawful Combatant Law."
It pointed out that, following the amendments to this law, relevant institutions later worked to uncover the fate of a number of Gaza detainees. This was accomplished by sending correspondence to the occupation army to inquire about them and organizing visits for hundreds of them, where unprecedented brutal practices against them were documented.
The PPS also cited testimonies issued by the detainees reflecting the level of brutality practiced against them and the systematic crimes committed by the occupation, most notably systematic torture from the moment of arrest, during interrogation, and after their transfer to prisons and camps.
It explained that the occupation has established and developed special camps for Gaza detainees, most notably the Sde Teiman camp, which was the most prominent site of torture and murder crimes. Alongside Anatot and Ofer camps, the Naftali camp, and the Rakefet section of the Israeli Prison Service bartily accessible to human rights organizations.
The PPS reiterated its call for the international human rights community to take clear decisions to hold the Israeli occupation state accountable and halt its comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people, including the crimes committed against detainees in prisons and camps.
This data is based on what was announced by the Israeli Prison Service up to the beginning of August 2025. The number of those classified by the occupation as "unlawful combatants" reached 2,378, with 46 documented deaths among detainees and an additional 77 unverified fatalities since the onset of the war.
In August 2024, the total number of Gaza detainees was 1,584, reflecting a doubling over the past year, excluding detainees held in military camps.
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