Newly released state data has revealed that Israel is currently holding 1,287 Gazan detainees in prisons and detention centers under the controversial Law for Incarcerating Illegal Combatants, months after active hostilities formally ceased.
The figures were submitted this week to Israel’s High Court of Justice in response to a petition filed by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, which is challenging the continued use of the 2002 law. According to the data, at least 41 Gazans have been detained under the statute since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took effect on October 10, 2025, raising questions about the scope and duration of post-war detentions.
Of those currently incarcerated, 1,239 detainees are being held in facilities operated by the Israel Prison Service, while 48 are held in military detention centers under the authority of the Israel Defense Forces.
Detainees held under the Illegal Combatants Law are arrested inside Gaza during military operations but are not charged with any criminal offense. Human rights groups say many are detained for months without access to legal counsel or contact with their families. The law, originally enacted as a temporary emergency measure, has been repeatedly extended and is currently set to remain in force through the end of March.
In a statement responding to the disclosure, PCATI accused Israel of perpetuating wartime practices despite the ceasefire. “The war has ended on paper only,” the group said. “In practice, Israel continues to imprison detainees under a temporary order that was supposed to expire, and to hold them in inhumane conditions that amount to torture and cruel treatment.”
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3 Responses
Who wrote this leftist drivel? we are still at war with hamas!
Why are they still alive??!!
The concept of ” Illegal Combatants” is that anyone engaged in military activities who isn’t wearing a uniform of a belligerent power can be executed. The concept has largely disappeared today, and even soldiers of recognized countries often engage in combat without wearing clear identification that they are soldiers (especially true of special forces on undercover missions). International law doesn’t really distinguish between “legal” (uniformed) and “illegal (wearing civil clothes) combatants. The Israelis should just announce they are prisoners of war, to be held until exchanged or until there is a peace treaty (BTW, under international law they are entitled to send a postcard home saying they’ve been captured).