Israel escalating arrest of women under the pretext of ‘incitement’, rights groups warn

The Israeli occupation army has “systematically” escalated its targeting of Palestinian women, including arrests, under the pretext of “incitement” on social media, the Commission of Detainees Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said yesterday.

In a joint statement issued following Israel’s extension of the detention of five recently arrested Palestinian women, the groups said: “The occupation authorities continue to escalate their targeting of women through systematic arrests, with the number of female prisoners reaching 25 after the release of journalist Latifa Abdul-Latif from Jerusalem yesterday [Tuesday].”

“This escalation has affected women from various Palestinian areas, and minors have not been spared.”

The Israeli occupation army, they explained, is using arrests as a means of putting pressure on Palestinian families, with dozens of women detained to force their family members to surrender, a policy that has escalated significantly since the start of the genocidal war.

The majority of the female prisoners are being held in Damon Prison in northern Israel, among them is a Palestinian lady in her third month of pregnancy, three administrative detainees, and a female prisoner suffering from cancer.

They noted that the majority of the female prisoners are being held on “incitement” charges.

The number of women arrested since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza on 7 October 2023 has reached approximately 500, according to the two organisations.

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