Israel Releases Prisoner Hanan Al-Barghouthi After Nine Months in Detention

Israeli authorities released Hanan Al-Barghouthi (Umm Anan) from Israeli prisons today, Monday, after she spent nine months under administrative detention. She is the wife of prisoner Mohammad Al-Barghouthi, the sister of imprisoned leader Nael Al-Barghouthi, and the mother of two prisoners, Islam and Abdullah Al-Barghouthi.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club noted that, with the release of Hanan Al-Barghouthi, the number of female prisoners currently held in Israeli prisons stands at 88, including four from Gaza. However, this figure does not include all detained women from Gaza held in camps run by the Israeli military, as there is no detailed information about their numbers due to the ongoing crime of enforced disappearance affecting many detainees from Gaza.

Since the start of the war of extermination, Israeli occupation forces have escalated systematic arrests targeting Palestinian women across all Palestinian territories, including minors. Some arrests have also been used as a means of holding women hostage to pressure targeted family members into surrendering themselves to Israeli forces.

Today, female prisoners suffer from systematic crimes committed by the occupation, including starvation policies, denial of medical treatment—which falls under the category of medical neglect—and a severe lack of clothing and blankets. These hardships have worsened during the harsh cold waves, particularly after the prison administration confiscated additional clothing from the prisoners. Recently, several incidents of suppression were recorded in cells where female prisoners are held.