Palestinian Female Detainees: Ongoing human suffering and escalating retaliatory measures

New report issued by the Ministry of Women's Affairs on Palestinian Prisoners' Day 2025

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INTRODUCTION:

On the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, the Palestinian Ministry of Women's Affairs issued an evidence-based report on the situation of Palestinian women and girls detained by the Israeli occupation, documenting new patterns of gender-based practices and crimes committed by Israeli occupation forces.

The report affirms that Israeli occupation forces deliberately reinforce policies, practices, crimes, and violations against Palestinian women and girls as a tool and strategy of war intended to dominate and destroy the Palestinian people.

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs reaffirms its unwavering commitment, based on the government’s work program and its cross-sectoral strategies, to amplifying the voices of Palestinian female detainees and victims of ongoing Israeli crimes and violations. The Ministry further emphasizes the need to achieve criminal justice for the victims in accordance with international humanitarian law and its available mechanisms, by holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes and violations and ensuring that impunity is not allowed to persist.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

The first section of the report addresses the situation of Palestinian female detainees in Israeli occupation prisons.

• Between 7 October 2023 - April 2025, there has been a dangerous escalation in the rate of arrests targeting Palestinian women, with over 510 women detained as part of a systematic policy specifically targeting them. 
• As of 13 April 2025, 29 Palestinian women remain in detention under harsh humanitarian conditions and severe human rights violations, including administrative detention and medical neglect.

The report also highlights the difficulties faced by human rights organizations in documenting the number of female detainees from the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli policy of enforced disappearance.

• The number of Palestinian women being detained under inhumane conditions, without charges or access to court proceedings, remains unknown.

The second section of the report sheds light on the grave violations endured by Palestinian female detainees, which begin at the moment of arrest and often continue even after their release. 

• Palestinian detainees face harsh conditions of imprisonment, including overcrowding, lack of ventilation, poor-quality food, and the absence of privacy, as well as deprivation of hygiene supplies and proper medical care.
• Female detainees are subjected to both physical and psychological torture, enduring some of the most brutal forms of violence, including beatings, insults, strip searches, and electric shocks.
• They are also humiliated during transport via the "Bosta," enduring hours of travel under degrading and painful conditions without being allowed to eat or use the bathroom.

The report documents numerous cases of sexual harassment, threats of rape, and the use of sexually explicit insults as a form of psychological intimidation, constituting blatant violations of international conventions.

The report also reveals another facet of the suffering endured by Palestinian female detainees: the denial of their fundamental right to healthcare.

• The Israeli prison authorities deliberately withhold access to specialized medical care, including qualified medical staff, diagnostic equipment, and medications for chronic and other illnesses.
• Serious health conditions are often met with willful neglect, putting the lives of many sick and elderly detainees at grave risk, and in some cases, leading to death.

Solitary confinement is identified as one of the systematic methods of psychological torture employed to break the will of female detainees.

• Detainees are placed in small, dark, isolated cells, cut off entirely from the outside world.
• Pregnant detainees are among the most severely affected, as their specific health needs are intentionally neglected by the occupying forces, posing serious threats to both their lives and the lives of their unborn children.

The suffering of Palestinian female detainees does not end with their release; instead, it takes on new and equally painful forms.

• The report highlights the long-term psychological toll on released detainees, many of whom suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, resulting in depression, isolation, and difficulties reintegrating into society.
• These mental health consequences are deeply felt, especially by mothers who were separated from their children during imprisonment, trauma that also extends to their children and families.

The report also brings attention to a particularly egregious crime practiced by the Israeli occupation since October 2023: the enforced disappearance of female detainees from Gaza.

• These women are held under extremely harsh conditions, deprived of the most basic necessities of life, subjected to inhumane treatment, and exposed to brutal torture.
• This constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

In conclusion, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs calls on the international community to take a firm and urgent stance to protect Palestinian female detainees. Recommended actions include:

• Opening Israeli prisons to international monitoring bodies,
• Securing the release of all detained women,
• Ensuring their safety,
• Enforcing UN Security Council resolutions on the protection of women in armed conflict, and
• Holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its systematic and grave violations against Palestinian women.