Israel carries out 15,700 political arrests of Palestinians in West Bank since start of Gaza genocide

Palestinian Prisoner’s Society, Commission of Detainees’ Affairs & Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

March 18, 2025

Ramallah, Palestine – The Israeli occupation army has carried out 15,700 political arrests of Palestinians across the West Bank and Jerusalem since the start of the genocide in October 2023. This figure does not represent the number of individuals arrested, but rather cases of arrest. It includes those who remain in detention, and those who were later released. It does not include the total number of arrests from occupied Gaza, which is estimated to be in the thousands.

• Women: There have been approximately 500 cases of arrest among Palestinian females in the West Bank. The 500 figure includes women arrested from the 1948-occupied territories, as well as women from Gaza who were arrested in the occupied West Bank. It does not however include dozens of other women who were abducted from the occupied Gaza Strip and are being subject to enforced disappearances.

• Children: There have been at least 1,200 cases of arrest among Palestinian minors.

• Journalists: Arrests among journalists reached more than 170 cases of arrest, of whom 51 remain in detention, including two female journalists.

Key figures until start of March 2025

The number of Palestinians held in the occupation's military camps and central prisons exceeds 9,500 people as of the end of February and start of March 2025.

These include:

• At least 350 children and 26 females including one minor.
• 3,405 Palestinians are being held without trial or charge, under the ‘administrative detention’ military order. 
• 1,555 Palestinians abducted from the occupied Gaza Strip and are being held without trial or charge under the Israeli “illegal combatants” law. Note that this figure does not include all Gaza detainees, particularly those held in the occupation’s military camps. 

Before the genocide, there was a total of 5,250 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, including 40 females, 170 children, and around 1,320 “administrative detainees.”

Alongside the never-ending mass arrest campaigns, severe crimes and violations are being committed against Palestinian detainees in an unprecedented manner in terms of frequency and intensity, including during their arrest which often involves a military raid on homes. These abuses include: severe beating and assault, terrorizing detainees and their families, intentional widespread destruction of homes and all belongings, theft of vehicles, money, and gold jewelry. This also includes widespread destruction to infrastructure, specifically in the refugee camps of Tulkarem, Jenin and Tubas. Homes of political prisoners and martyrs are also demolished, their family members are used as human shields and as hostages to pressure relatives to surrender.

Arrest cases include all individuals who were arrested from their homes, at military checkpoints, those who were forced to surrender under pressure, and those who were detained as hostages. In addition to the mass arrest campaigns, occupation forces also carried out field executions of those they were arresting, as well as their family members.

Martyred Detainees

At least 62 identified Palestinian political prisoners were killed and martyred in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023. This figure includes 40 people who were abducted from Gaza. It does not include the dozens of unidentified detainees who were arrested from Gaza and were killed in circumstances unknown to lawyers and Palestinian prisoners’ institutions. The Israeli occupation continues to withhold information about their fates, identities and where they are being held, leaving their loved ones in the dark.

Among the 62, the bodies of only two detainees have been returned to their families for burial. The remaining bodies of 60 martyred detainees continue to be withheld by occupation authorities in violation of international law.

The total number of identified martyred Palestinian detainees whose bodies are withheld by the occupation since 1967, is 71 people.

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