Spike in number of Palestinians detained without charges by Israel: Palestinian Commission of Prisoners' Affairs

The number of Palestinians detained without charges by Israel has dramatically risen in recent weeks, said the Palestinian Commission of Prisoners' Affairs in a statement on Monday.

According to the commission, the number of "administrative detainees" has gone from some 520 to 650 over the last 20 days, mainly due to a rise in the number of administrative detention orders against Palestinians by the Israeli authorities in March and April.

🚨 Israeli military courts have been confirming and renewing administrative detention orders against Palestinian detainees in absentia, without their presence or their lawyers.

Palestinian detainees have taken escalatory steps from inside prisons. https://t.co/8BLSVwHFYc pic.twitter.com/6Ov6FrkrTM

— Addameer –الضمير (@Addameer) April 1, 2022

Administrative detention is a detention system used by Israeli authorities against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories, by which any Palestinian can be held without charges for periods of up to six months, which can be renewable indefinitely. The Israeli security forces usually issue administrative detention orders based on "secret information" provided by Israeli secret services.

"The recent escalation of events has led to a spike in Palestinian detentions, especially in the Jenin region and in east Jerusalem," Ameen Shouman, the commission's director told The New Arab.

"In recent weeks there has been an average of up to 30 detentions each night," he added. "Simultaneously, administrative detention orders have been issued in large numbers, as well as renewal orders for previous detentions." 

Israeli authorities have arrested more than 2000 Palestinians so far in 2022, according to @Addameer. It's only April. Israel currently holds 500+ Palestinians in administrative detention without trial or charge. On Palestinian Prisoners' Day, let's amplify calls to #FreeThemAll. https://t.co/kOkZLoABwd

— Omar Shakir (@OmarSShakir) April 17, 2022

In 2021, more than ten Palestinians under administrative detention have gone on individual hunger strikes to protest their arrest without charges. The longest strike was by Hisham Abu Hawash, who reached an agreement with the Israeli authorities not to renew his detention following 141 days without food. Abu Hawash was subsequently released in February.

Currently, 40-year-old Palestinian detainee Khalil Awawdeh is on the 47th day of his hunger strike in protest of his arrest without any charges.

In January, Palestinian administrative detainees started an open boycott of Israeli court hearings, demanding the end of the policy of administrative detention. The boycott continues for the 108th day.

Some 4,450 Palestinians are held in Palestinian prisons, including 32 women and 160 minors, according to human rights groups.

Palestinian prisoner on hunger strike in the occupation prisons !!

Khalil Awawdeh continues his hunger strike for the 47 days, in protest against his administrative detention without charge or trial.#FreeKhalil now !!#معركة_الامعاء_الخاوية #FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/7Zk4s9yNoA

— Palestine captives (@Palestinecapti1) April 18, 2022

In early March, Palestinian prisoners announced a mass hunger strike to start by March 25, which was expected to be the largest since 2004.

The move was suspended the day before its launch after an agreement was reached between Palestinian prisoners' representatives and the Israeli prison authority, who agreed to end a series of punitive restrictions introduced after the Gilboa prison break in September.

These restrictions included visit bans, limitation of the courtyard time and repeated transfer of prisoners between prisons.