RAMALLAH, October 26, 2026 (WAFA) — Prisoners’ rights organizations have reported that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to detain more than 90 Palestinian women, who are being subjected to systematic violations and crimes within prisons and interrogation centers.
The organizations noted that the conditions for these detainees have deteriorated significantly since the onset of the genocidal war, with an outbreak of scabies spreading among them—exacerbated by the denial of medical treatment and basic hygiene supplies.
In a statement issued this Monday, coinciding with Palestinian National Women’s Day, the organizations detailed that the violations against the female detainees include physical and psychological torture, starvation, denial of medical care, and sexual assault—such as forced strip searches, harassment, and threats of rape. Furthermore, the women face verbal abuse, frequent repressive raids, physical beatings, and humiliation.
The organizations explained that the spread of scabies—compounded by harsh detention conditions, poor environmental circumstances, and a lack of personal hygiene products and medical treatment—has caused the detainees daily suffering, including intense itching, pain, and disruptions to their sleep and mobility. Testimonies indicate that some of the women are also suffering from limb spasms. The organizations accused the prison administration of denying the existence of the outbreak and refusing to provide the necessary medical treatment. Human rights organizations have documented more than 810 cases of Palestinian women being arrested since October 7, 2023—across the West Bank (including Jerusalem) and the territories occupied in 1948. The most recent case is that of Marah al-Zaaqiq, who was detained today in Hebron. Meanwhile, no precise statistics are available regarding the number of women detained from the Gaza Strip.
According to the statement, there are currently over 90 Palestinian women held in occupation prisons, including two minors and 22 women held under administrative detention (detention without charge or trial). Shatila Abu Ayyada, from the territories occupied in 1948, is the longest-serving female prisoner. The list of detainees also includes women suffering from various illnesses—such as cancer—as well as two pregnant women who are enduring difficult detention conditions.
The organizations highlighted an escalating policy of detaining women as hostages during the ongoing war of extermination, with the aim of pressuring their male relatives to turn themselves in. These arrests have targeted the wives of prisoners and those killed, as well as elderly mothers—some over the age of 70. Such operations have frequently involved the ransacking of homes, the confiscation of property, and the terrorizing of children. Furthermore, some female detainees have been threatened with the killing of their husbands or sons who are also being held in custody. Regarding detention conditions, the organizations reported that testimonies from female prisoners reveal harsh circumstances in the HaSharon and Damon prisons. These include unsanitary cells, strip searches, physical assaults, the provision of spoiled food, and the use of basic necessities—such as sanitary pads and clothing—as tools for deprivation and punishment. Furthermore, prisoners face bans on family visits, collective and solitary confinement, and a lack of ventilation in the summer and heating in the winter.
The organizations highlighted the ongoing solitary confinement of prisoner Bushra al-Tawil in the "Ohli Kedar" (Ohli Oz) unit—where she has been held for about two months under conditions described as harsh and degrading. They noted that she has been subjected to repeated assaults and attempts to obstruct her legal visits, despite formal legal demands for an end to her isolation and for her release, given that she is held under administrative detention.
They further emphasized that repressive measures and raids against female prisoners have escalated this year. These actions have included the use of sound grenades, tear gas, and police dogs; prisoners have been restrained, forced to lie on the ground, and taken out into prison yards in a humiliating manner, where they are subjected to beatings and strip searches—with these acts of repression often being filmed.
The organizations added that the majority of the female prisoners are detained on the grounds of what the occupation terms "incitement"—which includes the expression of opinions or stances via social media. Others are held under administrative detention based on a so-called "secret file," without clear charges or a trial that would allow them to examine the evidence against them or challenge it. Organizations advocating for Palestinian prisoners emphasized that the targeting of Palestinian women is part of a broader assault on Palestinian society as a whole. They asserted that the issue of female detainees extends beyond mere statistics or the documentation of abuses; it concerns the fundamental right of women to freedom, safety, and dignity, and necessitates holding those responsible for crimes committed against them accountable.
These organizations reiterated their call for the international human rights community to take concrete steps toward accountability, to prosecute those responsible for war crimes and grave violations, to end the culture of impunity, to ensure the protection of female detainees—as well as all Palestinian prisoners and detainees—and to work toward ending policies of oppression, torture, and arbitrary detention.
K.T
