Palestinian Group Reports Over 23,000 Arrests in West Bank Since Gaza War Began

The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society reported that Israeli forces have arrested more than 23,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. The organization described the current situation as the harshest period for the Palestinian prisoners' movement since 1967, citing widespread detention of women, children, and wounded individuals. The report excludes thousands of additional arrests in Gaza, where hundreds of detainees are allegedly forcibly disappeared. According to the group, 89 identified prisoners have died in custody due to torture, starvation, or medical neglect, raising the total death toll since 1967 to 326. Currently, over 9,400 Palestinians remain in Israeli prisons, including administrative detainees and those classified as unlawful combatants. The society characterizes mass detention as a systematic pillar of Israeli colonial policy aimed at dismantling Palestinian social structures. The article also notes that the overall Palestinian death toll from the conflict reached 73,761 by April 2026. These findings highlight severe humanitarian concerns regarding prisoner treatment and due process within the context of the ongoing regional conflict.