Gaza Herald_ Families of Palestinian detainees organized a sit-in last Monday outside the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) headquarters in Gaza City, demanding answers about the fate, whereabouts, and conditions of their relatives held in Israeli prisons. Protesters said months of silence, disrupted communication, and the absence of credible official information have left families trapped in a state of constant anxiety and fear.
Relatives stressed that the lack of transparency has deepened humanitarian and legal concerns, particularly as reports continue to emerge about harsh detention conditions and the denial of basic rights to Palestinian prisoners.
Red Cross Cites Access Efforts Amid Limited Information
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Amani al-Naouq, spokesperson for the ICRC in Gaza, said the organization is prioritizing efforts to monitor the situation of Palestinian detainees and is working to secure access to Israeli detention facilities. Families, however, said these assurances have done little to ease their distress in the absence of concrete information about their loved ones.
Thousands Still Detained Despite Prisoner Releases
The protest coincides with new data released by Palestinian prisoners’ organizations indicating that Israel has officially acknowledged holding 1,460 Palestinian detainees under the Gaza ceasefire framework. According to the figures, 1,220 of those detained, most of them from Gaza, are classified by Israeli prison authorities as “unlawful combatants,” a designation that strips detainees of basic legal protections.
While 3,745 Palestinian prisoners were released in exchange operations during 2025, Israeli prisons continue to hold thousands more. Statistics published last December show that around 9,300 Palestinians remain imprisoned under administrative detention, many without charge or trial.
Deaths in Custody Intensify Families’ Fears
Families say their concerns have escalated sharply amid reports that at least 50 detainees from Gaza have died in Israeli custody since 7 October 2023. Human rights organizations state that these deaths are part of a wider toll of 86 Palestinian prisoners who have died during this period, attributing the fatalities to brutal detention conditions, medical neglect, and systematic abuse.
For families gathered in Gaza City, the sit-in was not only a plea for information but a demand for accountability, transparency, and international intervention to protect Palestinian detainees whose lives, they say, remain at grave risk behind prison walls.
