DaysofPal- Families of Palestinian prisoners held a sit-in on Monday outside the Gaza City headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), demanding clarity about the fate and conditions of their relatives detained in Israeli prisons.
Protesters called on the Red Cross to disclose any information it has regarding detainees’ whereabouts and treatment, saying prolonged communication blackouts and the absence of reliable official data have left families in a state of constant anxiety. Many relatives said the lack of updates has intensified humanitarian and legal concerns about conditions inside Israeli detention facilities.
Amani al-Naouq, spokesperson for the ICRC in Gaza, said the organization’s current priority is to monitor Palestinian detainees and to work toward securing access to them in accordance with its humanitarian mandate.
The protest comes amid new figures released by Palestinian prisoners’ organizations indicating that Israel has acknowledged holding 1,460 prisoners under the framework of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Of those detainees, 1,220, most of them from Gaza, are classified by Israeli prison authorities as “unlawful combatants,” a designation that families and rights groups say raises serious legal concerns.
Although 3,745 Palestinian prisoners were released during exchange operations carried out in 2025, Israeli prisons continue to hold thousands. According to statistics issued last December, around 9,300 Palestinians remain in detention under administrative orders.
Families say their fears have been further heightened by reports that 50 prisoners from Gaza have died in Israeli custody since October 7, 2023. Human rights organizations attribute these deaths, part of a broader total of 86 fatalities among Palestinian prisoners during the same period, to harsh detention conditions and systematic abuse.
As uncertainty persists, families continue to appeal to international organizations to increase pressure for transparency, access, and accountability, warning that the ongoing silence surrounding detainees’ conditions deepens both humanitarian suffering and legal violations.
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