'Israeli' Prison Service officers prepare Palestinian political prisoners for release as part of a hostage deal between 'Israel' and Hamas, at Ketziot Prison, February 26, 2025.
Palestinian detainees face record crackdown in 'Israeli' prisons during 2025
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- Palestinian prisoners in 'Israel' face unprecedented abuse and overcrowding in 2025.
- Administrative detention, child imprisonment, and secret prisons highlight systemic violations of international law.
The Palestinian Center for Prisoner Defense reported that 2025 saw an unprecedented escalation in the targeting of Palestinian detainees by 'Israel'.
Prison Population Soars
The total number of Palestinian detainees in 'Israeli' prisons reached around 9,300 by the end of 2025, one of the highest figures in years. Thousands from Gaza are held in military detention centers outside the formal prison system.
Read more: 'Israeli' army reports striking some 20,900 targets across multiple fronts in 2025
Approximately 1,250 detainees are serving various sentences, including life terms, while the majority remain in detention without trial. The crackdown extended across Palestinian society, with harsh security measures turning prisons into additional fronts in a system of collective punishment.
Administrative Detention and Secret Prisons
Administrative detention emerged as a major tool of repression, with roughly 3,350 detainees held under military orders based on “secret files”, without clear charges or fair trial guarantees.
'Israeli' secret prisons and military detention camps, including Sde Teiman, became some of the most dangerous sites, where detainees suffered severe physical and psychological abuse, prolonged restraint, denial of medical care, and documented sexual assault, in violation of the Convention Against Torture and the Geneva Conventions.
Children and Women Targeted
Around 350 children were imprisoned by the end of 2025, often subjected to nighttime arrests, harsh interrogations, and denied access to family or lawyers.
Fifty-one female political prisoners, including two minors, endured degrading searches, solitary confinement, medical neglect, and restrictions on visits.
Read more: Nearly half of Palestinian detainees held without charge, report says
Humanitarian Crisis and Deaths
Overcrowding, food reduction, strict daily restrictions, medical neglect, and collective punishments further deteriorated conditions. The center documented the deaths of 31 Palestinians in prisons in 2025 due to torture, deliberate medical neglect, and harsh detention conditions.
Legislative Escalation
The crackdown extended beyond prisons, with attempts in the 'Israeli' Knesset to pass a so-called “Prisoner Execution Law”, reflecting an official shift toward harsher punishment and collective retribution.
The Palestinian Center for Prisoner Defense called for an immediate end to administrative detention, release of children and women, closure of secret prisons including Sde Teiman, and accountability for all officials responsible for abuses.
The center pledged to continue prioritizing the Palestinian political prisoners’ cause until their freedom and dignity are restored.
