Ramallah - Saba:
The Palestinian Prisoners' Club stated that the total number of female prisoners in Israeli prisons rose to 26 during the current month of March, after 14 arrests of women were recorded during the month, including three sisters from Hebron, while the Israeli occupation forces retained eight others.
The Prisoners' Club added, in a statement on Monday, that Israeli authorities continue to escalate their targeting of women through systematic arrests.
It stated that the majority of them are being held in Al-Damon Prison, including a prisoner from Gaza, Siham Abu Salem, a child, a prisoner in her third month of pregnancy, three administrative detainees, and two journalists.
Among the female prisoners is a prisoner suffering from cancer. It should be noted that two female prisoners have been detained since before October 7, 2023, and the enemy still refuses to release them.
The Prisoners' Club noted that the majority of female prisoners are being detained on the basis of what the enemy claims is "incitement," which constitutes another aspect of the crime of administrative detention. It noted that the number of women arrested since the beginning of the war of extermination has reached approximately 500. This figure includes women arrested in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, as well as women from the 1948 territories. There is no clear estimate of the number of women arrested from Gaza.
The Prisoners' Club stated that this ongoing escalation in the targeting of Palestinian women comes during the bloodiest period they have faced in the history of the occupation. This comes in light of the comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people, along with the war crimes and grave violations they have been subjected to, most notably field executions, systematic arrests, and the accompanying horrific violations, including sexual assaults.
It is worth noting that this systematic escalation has affected all women from across the Palestinian territories, including minors. It has also included the detention of women as hostages, which has affected dozens of them, with the aim of pressuring a family member targeted by the enemy to surrender. This policy has constituted one of the most prominent crimes that has escalated significantly since October 7, 2023.