Detainee Tasneem Odeh: Arrested for old Facebook posts and held in cruel conditions

July 27, 2025

A lawyer from the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, reported, following a visit to Damoun Prison, that Israeli occupation forces arrested 22-year-old Tasneem Barakat Odeh from Jerusalem on December 12, 2024. Tasneem was while she was driving her private car to transport students. It is worth noting that she is in her final year at the Faculty of Law at Al-Quds University.

She was taken from outside a school without any explanation. Officers stormed her car, confiscating her phone and iPad. She was then transferred to the Moscobiya Interrogation Center, and held for 14 days under the pretext of old Facebook posts from 2022 in which she mourned her father. During this period, she was subjected to daily interrogations lasting between six and seven hours, during which she was repeatedly insulted and cursed.

She was moved to Hasharon Prison after interrogation, where she spent one night in extremely difficult conditions, including a full strip search. She was later transferred to Damon Prison.

Tasneem pointed out: “During one of my court sessions at the Jerusalem Magistrate Court, I was beaten on the head and face by a prison guard. I was also held in the detainees’ transport vehicle (Bosta) for more than two hours with the engine and air conditioning turned off, which caused me to nearly lose consciousness due to suffocation.”

She further noted that prison forces had recently raided the women's section using police dogs and tear gas. The cells were thoroughly searched, and the female detainees were subjected to collective punishment for trivial and unreasonable reasons, such as old writings on the walls. Among the punishments was a seven-day ban on going out to the prison yard.

In addition, Tasneem highlighted that the cells in Damon Prison are fully sealed, with no ventilation, despite the severe overcrowding and high temperatures. A total of 43 female detainees are currently being held there.

Fact Sheet: Palestinian Political Prisoners

Mid-Year Review (January-June 2025)

Prepared by Commission of Detainees Affairs’, Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS), Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association

Ramallah, occupied Palestine – Israeli occupation authorities continue their systematic policies of mass arrest and abuse of Palestinians across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

The first half of 2025 was an extension of the horrific phase of genocide in occupied Gaza, which saw a severe worsening of the nature of the occupation’s crimes and policies—both in terms of systematic arrest campaigns and accompanying violations, as well as the conditions faced by political detainees in the occupation’s prisons and military camps, which emerged as yet another aspect of the genocide.

In this fact sheet, Palestinian prisoner defense and advocacy organizations present key specific statistical data covering the first half of 2025 based on their monitoring and documentation of hundreds of crimes and testimonies since the start of the genocide. This includes data related to the reality of mass arrest campaigns in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, as well as statistics pertaining to these campaigns since the beginning of the genocide, in addition to other data concerning crimes committed within Israeli prisons and military camps.

3,850 Arrests Recorded in the West Bank and Jerusalem

During the first half of 2025, a total of 3,850 arrest cases of Palestinians were recorded in the West Bank and Jerusalem. These figures include those who were arrested and remain in detention, as well as those who were later released.

• Including approximately 400 arrests among children and 125 among women.
• The highest number of arrests occurred in March, with 800 arrests documented.
• The arrests span all segments of society, with young men, former prisoners, and recently released detainees being the most targeted.
• The highest concentration of arrests was recorded in the governorates of Jenin and Tulkarem, which are being subject to the longest military aggression since the Second Intifada.
• In Jenin, there were 920 arrest cases, and in Tulkarem 455 arrests recorded during the first half of 2025.

This widespread aggression was accompanied by the forced displacement of tens of thousands of residents from refugee camps in the two governorates, as well as the demolition of hundreds of homes, along with assassinations and field executions.

Other West Bank governorates also witnessed mass arrest campaigns and extensive field interrogations affecting thousands of individuals. These operations were accompanied by home invasions, destruction and looting of property, beatings, the use of civilians as hostages and human shields, in addition to organized acts of terror and threats including death threats.

In recent months, field interrogations, during which the resident is detained and questioned on site, have occurred more frequently than actual arrests. Field interrogations of men, women and children were accompanied by violations no less severe than those experienced by detainees in interrogation and detention centers. Hundreds of individuals reported being tortured, abused, and assaulted in various ways.

Additionally, settler violence in various governorates contributed to the rising number of arrest cases, particularly in villages near illegal settlements or areas adjacent to them, which are built on stolen Palestinian land.

Crimes Committed Against Palestinian Detainees

in Israeli Prisons & Military Camps

The occupation’s prison system continues to commit all forms of crimes—escalating them to unprecedented levels since the start of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Key violations include: torture, severe beatings, starvation, denial of medical care, deliberate spread of diseases, sexual assaults, as well as theft, deprivation, humiliation, and complete isolation—with no family visits or communication—imposed since the genocide began.

Human rights organizations documented the killing of at least 19 Palestinian political prisoners during the first half of 2025, including 10 who were arrested from Gaza and 9 who were arrested from the West Bank. The 17-year-old child Walid Ahmad from the town of Silwad near Ramallah is among the 19 prisoners killed.

Hundreds of testimonies from detainees—both current and recently released—reveal the horrific scale of abuse, with Gaza detainees reporting the most severe violations.

The ongoing scabies outbreak has infected the majority of prisoners and is a central cause of health deterioration among thousands of prisoners. This, along with the broader abuse, poses a major challenge to organizations monitoring prison conditions.

A major and ongoing development since the genocide began is the widespread use of arbitrary administrative detention under the pretext of a “secret file.” As of early July 2025, over 3,600 Palestinians are held this way, including 87 children and 10 women, one of whom is a girl.

Administrative detention—used systematically to strip individuals of freedom without charge or trial—targets mostly former prisoners, many of whom have spent years detained without formal charges. Today, administrative detainees make up the largest category of Palestinian prisoners, surpassing those in pre-trial, sentenced, or “unlawful combatant” status.

Update on the number of Palestinian political prisoners as of early July 2025:

🔴 The number of Palestinian political prisoners in the Israeli occupation’s prisons has risen to approximately 10,800 people.
🔴 This figure does not include detainees held in Israeli military camps.

This represents the highest total of political prisoners since the Second Intifada in 2000, based on documentation available from monitoring institutions.

• Females: Their number as of today stands at 50 female prisoners, including two women from Gaza (this number does not represent all the detained women from Gaza).
• Children: As of today, their number exceeds 450 children.
• “Administrative detainees”: As of early July, their number is 3,629, the highest compared to those held under charges, convicted prisoners, and those classified as “unlawful combatants.”
• Detainees classified as “unlawful combatants”: Their number is 2,454.
  This number does not include all Gaza detainees held in Israeli army camps.
  The highest recorded number of people held under this category since the genocide. This classification also includes Arab detainees from Lebanon and Syria.

Key Data Since October 2023:

• The number of arrest cases since October 2023 in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, has exceeded 18,000. This figure does not include arrest cases in Gaza, which are estimated to be in the thousands.
• 560 arrests among women.
• More than 1,450 cases of arrests among children.
• The number of identified prisoners who were killed since the start of the genocide has reached 73, including 45 abducted from Gaza. It is worth noting that dozens of other detainees, particularly from Gaza, remain forcibly disappeared by the Israeli army.

June 1, 2025

Detainees of the Captive Movement

Today marks the 604th day of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, a war that has become one of the most brutal genocides in modern history. Nearly two million Palestinians in Gaza remain trapped under relentless bombardment, starvation, siege, and the looming threat of forced displacement. With no protection and no weapons, they stand alone against a ruthless occupying power, while the world watches in disgraceful silence. To date, this war has left behind almost 55,000 martyrs, over 130,000 injured, and more than two million forcibly displaced, and the bloodshed continues without pause.

Inside the prisons of the Israeli occupation, over 10,000 Palestinians are currently detained, including 45 women, more than 400 children, and approximately 3,577 administrative detainees held without charge or trial. Among them are at least 1,846 detainees from Gaza, classified under the unjust and illegal label of “unlawful combatants”, a designation created by Israeli law to justify indefinite detention of civilians without due process, without evidence, and without fair trial, based on so-called "secret files" withheld even from legal counsel. The exact number of Gaza’s detainees remains unknown due to Israel’s systematic practice of enforced disappearance.

This report exposes a grave and escalating crisis: the growing number of martyrs within the Palestinian Captive Movement, particularly since October 7, 2023. While the suffering of Palestinian detainees has been ongoing for decades, through torture, humiliation, and medical neglect, the post-October 7 period has seen an unprecedented surge in violence, cruelty, and death. Since the start of this war, 70 Palestinian detainees have been killed in Israeli custody, bringing the total number of detainees martyrs to 307. Since1967 to just before October 2023, the number of martyrs from the Captive Movement was 237, averaging four per year. In contrast, the past two years have seen a tenfold annual increase.

These martyrs have died under torture, starvation, sexual abuse, and deliberate medical neglect. Many were exposed to horrific conditions designed to weaken and slowly kill, including filthy, overcrowded cells that became breeding grounds for infectious diseases, such as scabies, and other chronic, untreated illnesses.

The findings in this report are based on verified information and official correspondence with Israeli authorities, who have repeatedly attempted to manipulate the truth by providing contradictory, misleading, and false data. They continue to withhold the bodies of martyrs and hide the circumstances of their deaths in an effort to erase evidence of their crimes.

Martyrs of the Captive Movement since 1967:

The number of martyrs from the Captive Movement has reached 307 as of the writing of this report, including 70 martyrs who died after the genocide war (October 7, 2023), representing 23% of the total number of martyrs in the Captive Movement.

This report will highlight the 70 detainee martyrs who died after October 7, 2023, as it is the most brutal period in the history of the captive movement, in order to shed light on the crimes committed by the occupation against our detainees, as outlined below.

Relative distribution of martyrs by region (after the October 7 war):

The chart above shows that the majority of martyrs, 44 in total, accounting for 63%, are from the Gaza Strip. The West Bank follows with 24 martyrs, representing 34% of the total (including one from Jerusalem). Meanwhile, 2 martyrs, 3%, are from the occupied territories within the 1948 borders.

Relative distribution of martyrs by the date of martyrdom (after the October 7 war):

As shown in the chart above, detainees' organizations reported the deaths of 5 detainees in 2023, accounting for 7% of the total. In 2024, the number rose sharply to 49, making up 70%, marking it as the deadliest year in the history of the captive movement. In the current year, up to the date of this report, 16 detainees have been declared martyred, representing 23%.

Note: The date of announcement does not necessarily coincide with the actual date of death. These announcements are typically based on official responses from Israeli occupation authorities, who are known to routinely obscure facts in an attempt to cover up their crimes.

Relative distribution of martyrs by age (after the October 7 war)

Based on the chart above and available data for 66 out of the 70 martyrs after October 7, the age distribution is as follows:

• Minors (ages 15–18): 3 martyrs, making up 4%.
• Young adults (ages 19–39): 28 martyrs, comprising the largest group at 39%.
• Adults (ages 40–59): 24 martyrs, accounting for 34%.
• Elderly (60 years and older): 11 martyrs, representing 23%.

This distribution underscores the severity of the occupation’s crimes against detainees, particularly minors and the elderly, who together represent around 27% of the total. This notably high percentage serves as a troubling indicator of the brutality directed toward the most physically vulnerable age groups inside prisons.

Relative distribution of the martyrs based on the duration between arrest and martyrdom (after the October 7 war):

Among the 47 documented cases out of 70 martyrs following October 7, the chart above reveals that 36% (17 detainees) died within the first 60 days of their arrest. This strongly suggests that they were subjected to severe torture, inhumane treatment, and systematic abuse during interrogation, ultimately leading to their deaths.

Additionally, 30% (14 detainees) lost their lives between two months and one year after being detained. The remaining 34% (16 detainees) were martyred after spending over a year in captivity. These figures reflect the prolonged and escalating brutality faced by Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

Relative distribution of the martyrs by place of detention (after the October 7 war)

According to data available data on 39 out of the 70 martyrs who died after October 7, the most lethal detention centers were Ramla, Ofer, and Negev prisons, which alone were responsible for over half of the recorded deaths—21 martyrs, or 54%, with each facility accounting for 7 deaths (18%). This alarming concentration of deaths in specific prisons serves as a stark warning and a call to action for international human rights organizations to confront their obligations and hold the occupying authorities accountable.

Following these, Megiddo Prison recorded 5 deaths (13%), while Ramon, Sdeh Teiman, and Ashkelon prisons each witnessed 3 deaths (8%). The remaining deaths occurred across various other prisons, each contributing 1 martyr (3%). These figures expose a deeply rooted and systematic pattern of abuse and negligence within Israel’s prison system, demanding urgent international scrutiny and intervention.

Additional information:

• Of the 70 detainee martyrs who died after October 7, 2023, 17 were already suffering from injuries, chronic illnesses, or disabilities at the time of their arrest, accounting for 24% of the total. Among them were three cancer patients and one with kidney disease. These figures point to a deliberate policy of medical neglect, aimed at slow execution through systematic denial of treatment, an egregious violation of international humanitarian law.
• Included in the list of martyrs are four medical personnel, all from Gaza. This group comprises three physicians—Dr. Adnan Ahmad Atiya Al-Barsh, Dr. Iyad Ahmad Mohammad Al-Rantisi, and Dr. Ziyad Mohammad Saleh Al-Dalu—as well as a paramedic officer, Hamdan Hassan Anabah. All four were tortured to death, underscoring the brutal targeting of healthcare professionals by the occupying forces.
• Furthermore, 8 out of the 70 martyrs were held under administrative detention, imprisoned without formal charges or trial, making up 11% of the total. Their deaths highlight the deadly consequences of this unlawful and arbitrary detention policy.
• As of this report, the Israeli occupation continues to withhold the bodies of 79 martyred prisoners, including 68 of the 70 who died after October 7. This ongoing practice of body retention represents not only a violation of human dignity but also a cruel tactic of psychological warfare against the victims’ families.

We reaffirm that the findings in this report are derived from the limited information publicly available and from official statements issued by the occupation’s authorities. What remains concealed is likely far more horrific. This report does not imply that one prison is more brutal than another; rather, it exposes a cohesive system of repression—a single apparatus of violence governed by a unified policy of systematic abuse. The crime is the occupation itself.

The results presented here stand as a damning indictment of the international human rights and humanitarian community, which has failed miserably in its moral and legal obligations toward Palestinian prisoners. Since the launch of the genocidal war on October 7, 2023, not a single meaningful visit has been conducted to any Israeli prison, nor has the occupation been held accountable for its escalating crimes. International conventions that recognize prisoners of liberation movements have been willfully ignored.

In light of this utter inaction, we cannot help but question the credibility, independence, and integrity of these institutions. Their silence, neglect, and passivity raise serious concerns about their complicity—and their submission to the will of the occupying regime.

(End of Report)

Detainee Mohammad Rabee’ Victim of Systematic Medical Negligence

20/07/2025

Following his recent visit to Gilboa Prison, the lawyer from the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs reported that Mohammad Osama Rabee’ (21 years old), a resident of Beit Anan near Jerusalem, is being subjected to systematic and deliberate medical negligence, an approach increasingly used to slowly kill Palestinian detainees, as witnessed in numerous similar cases across Israeli prisons.

Rabee’ had undergone lung surgery prior to his arrest in 2021. However, his health condition has significantly worsened since he was brutally assaulted by prison special forces. He now suffers from intense chest pain and severe breathing difficulties, in addition to chronic headaches. Moreover, he has been battling an advanced case of scabies for over a year, although signs of recovery have recently begun to appear.

Despite his critical health condition, Rabee’ has repeatedly submitted requests to the prison administration seeking medical attention and access to the prison clinic. All his appeals, however, have been systematically rejected.

It is important to note that Rabee’ was arrested on 07/03/2024 and was originally sentenced to nine months in prison. Yet upon completing his sentence, he was shocked to discover that his case had been transferred to administrative detention. He is currently serving his second term under this arbitrary and indefinite form of detention.

🔴 Issued by Detainees’ Organizations

🔴 The number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation prisons has risen to nearly 10,800

🔴 This figure does not include those detained in military camps subordinated to the Israeli occupation army.

● An update on the total number detainees held in Israeli occupation prisons as of the beginning of July 2025.

● The total number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation prisons has reached nearly 10,800.
This figure does not include those held in military camps subordinate to the Israeli army, representing the highest recorded since the Second Intifada in 2000, based on detainees organizations’ documentation.

● Female Detainees : (50) women are currently held in detention, including two from Gaza.

● Child detainees: As of today, the number exceeds (450) children.

● Administrative detainees: As of the beginning of July, their number reached (3,629), representing the highest percentage compared to the number of sentenced detainees , pre-trial detainees, and those classified as "illegal combatants."

● Detainees classified as "illegal combatants": The number has reached (2,454) individuals. This figure does not include all Gaza detainees held in military camps operated by the Israeli army. It is the highest number since the beginning of the genocide war. This classification also includes Arab detainees from Lebanon and Syria.

Systematic Starvation and Beating Against Detainees in Megiddo Prison

The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs revealed in its latest report issued Sunday, June 1, 2025, that detainees in Israel’s Megiddo Prison, particularly minors, are enduring harsh and inhumane conditions marked by deliberate starvation and repeated physical assaults carried out by prison authorities.

The prison houses nine sections, each containing around 72 detainees.

According to the Commission's attorney, 24-year-old Fadi Ibrahim Shami, from the city of Nablus, who has been held since May 11, 2023 and is scheduled for a court hearing on June 22, 2025, has lost 22 kilograms due to the policy of enforced hunger practiced systematically across Israeli prisons.

In a separate case, 15-year-old minor detainee Qais Nasser Mohammad Deen Shehadeh was subjected to repeated beatings, first during his detention at the Etzion facility, and again during his transfer to Megiddo. He was violently arrested from his home on April 20, 2025.

Similarly, 17-year-old Hamzeh Omar Muhaysin, from Al-Arroub Refugee Camp, was arrested from his home on the same date. He is currently being held in Section 5, Room 11 of the prison, where he also faced multiple instances of physical abuse during his arrest.

The Commission’s lawyer further noted that the prison administration frequently shortens the detainees' daily outdoor time, which is legally mandated to be at least one hour. Meanwhile, outbreaks of scabies are spreading rapidly inside the prison due to severe neglect, unsanitary conditions, and lack of proper ventilation. Even medical treatment has proven ineffective. Food rations are dangerously scarce, barely enough to sustain basic survival.

Palestinian Political Detainee from Jenin Martyred 7 Days After Arrest
17 July 2025

Commission of Detainees' Affairs & Palestinian Prisoner's Society

Ramallah, occupied Palestine - A 53-year-old Palestinian political detainee, Sameer Mohammad Yousif al-Rifai, has been martyred in the Israeli occupation’s custody, just seven days after his arrest from his home in the village of Rummaneh in Jenin in the northern West Bank, on July 10.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs was informed of the development this morning, July 17. Al-Rifai was a husband and a father of five. He was scheduled to have his first Israeli military court session today, at the Salem military court near Nablus. According to medical reports provided by his family, he suffered from heart problems prior to his arrest and required continuous medical follow-up and care.

Al-Rifai now joins the long list of martyrs of the prisoners’ movement, who have died or were killed as a result of the systematic crimes carried out by the Israeli prison system in an unprecedented manner since the start of the ongoing genocide in Gaza - foremost among them: torture, medical neglect, and starvation.

The Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS) hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for his death.

They added that with the death of detainee Al-Rifai, the number of identified martyred Palestinian political prisoners since the start of the genocide has now risen to 74 people. This number comes amid the continued crime of enforced disappearance, making this period the bloodiest in the history of the prisoners’ movement. Accordingly, the total number of identified martyrs of the prisoners’ movement since 1967 has now risen to 311 people as of today.

The Commission and PPS stress that the increasing number of prisoner killings and deaths has become an inevitable outcome, growing ever more dangerous as thousands of detainees remain imprisoned in Israeli jails and continuously subjected to systematic crimes, most notably: torture, starvation, various forms of assault, medical neglect, sexual violence, and the deliberate imposition of conditions that lead to the contraction of serious and contagious diseases, especially scabies, in addition to unprecedented policies of deprivation and abuse.

The death of detainee Al-Rifai constitutes a new crime added to the record of the Israeli system of brutality, which employs all forms of violence aimed at killing prisoners—a manifestation and extension of the ongoing genocide.

The Commission and the PPS renew their call on the international human rights system to move forward in taking effective decisions to hold Israeli leaders accountable for the war crimes they continue to commit against the Palestinian people. They also called for the imposition of sanctions on Israel to isolate it internationally, and to restore the credibility and core purpose of the human rights system, by ending its paralyzing failure during the genocide and revoking the exceptional impunity granted to Israel, which has placed it above accountability, justice, and punishment.

Issued by Detainees’ Organizations

*Comprehensive Update on the Number of Palestinian Detainees in Israeli Occupation Prisons – As of Early June 2025

● The number of Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation prisons has surpassed 10.400, a figure that excludes those held in Israeli military camps, indicating that the actual number is likely even higher.

● Female Detainees : As of June 4, 2025, there are 49 Palestinian women imprisoned, including 8 held under administrative detention without charge or trial.
● Children: Over 440 Palestinian children remain in Israeli prisons.
● Administrative Detainees: The number of Palestinians held under administrative detention, without any formal charges, has reached 3,562.
● Gaza Detainees Classified as “Unlawful Combatants”: There are 2,214 detainees from Gaza classified under this label, a number that does not include all those detained in Israeli military camps, meaning the actual figure is likely significantly higher.

Detainee Sirin Saeedi endures brutal detention conditions in Damon prison

The Commission of Detainees’ Affairs reported today that 56-year-old Sirin Mohammad As’ad Saeedi, from the village of Beit Lid near Tulkarm, is currently held under appalling conditions in Damon Prison. Despite suffering from a pituitary gland disorder and severe allergies, Saeedi remains in detention without adequate medical care, relying on essential medications to manage her health.

According to the Commission’s legal representative, Saeedi was subjected to repeated strip searches following her arrest, a clear violation of her dignity and rights. Her detention conditions are described as degrading and inhumane, particularly as she was arrested during the harsh winter months and has been repeatedly subjected to verbal abuse and humiliation by prison guards.

Saeedi has also raised serious concerns about sudden and aggressive nighttime raids carried out by guards on her cell, further exacerbating the psychological pressure she faces.

She is denied even the most basic necessities. Prison authorities have confiscated her clothing and shoes, leaving her in dire need of proper clothing, personal hygiene items, and sanitary supplies. During a recent lawyer visit, she revealed that women detainees are forced to remain dressed in prayer garments at all times due to the constant threat of sudden cell inspections.

Currently, 35 Palestinian women are held in Damon Prison, all suffering under similarly harsh and degrading conditions. They are provided with insufficient and poor-quality food, and are only allowed to shower during the short recess period at 7:00 a.m.