Palestine: 4,769 young men and women detained in Israeli prisons
Raed Abu Hamous, head of the Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Commission, stated on Wednesday that 4,769 Palestinian young men and women are detained in Israeli prisons. This statement was issued by the Commission on the occasion of International Youth Day, observed annually on August 12, which was established by the United Nations to highlight youth issues and their role in building their communities.
Abu Hamous said that the number of young detainees in Israeli prisons within the age group of 18 to 40 years stands at 4,713 young men, while the number of young female detainees is 56. He added that the number of Palestinian prisoners who were martyred in Israeli prisons since October 2023 reached 41 out of a total of 91 martyred prisoners. He noted that the bodies of 40 of them remain held by Israeli authorities, along with dozens of other bodies held from prisoners of various age groups.
Israel has escalated its attacks against prisoners in its jails since it began its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, backed by the United States, on October 8, 2023.
Abu Hamous further stated that "every Palestinian youth has the right to celebrate this day, just like all youth around the world, and to dream and plan for a bright future free from all dangers and forms of threat imposed by the occupation on them and the entire Palestinian people." He emphasized that "the right to life, freedom, work, and movement is guaranteed by international norms and covenants, and this must be realized in the lives of our youth."
He affirmed that Palestinian youth "are the backbone of the Palestinian people's struggle and the true fighters for liberation from occupation, injustice, and persecution." He said they "will remain so until their wishes and dreams of freedom and independence are realized, and they secure a normal life with security and stability."
He called on international institutions, particularly those concerned with the youth sector, to reject the "targeting of Palestinian youth" and to "raise their voices demanding that they live their lives free from all distortions created by the occupation, and that they embark on their lives to the furthest extent of their dreams."
More than 9,400 prisoners, including 92 women and over 370 children, are held in Israeli prisons, suffering from torture, starvation, and medical neglect, which has led to the deaths of dozens, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights organizations.
In 1948, Israel was established on lands occupied by armed Zionist gangs that committed massacres and displaced at least 750,000 Palestinians. Tel Aviv then occupied the rest of the Palestinian territories and refuses to withdraw or allow the establishment of the Palestinian state mandated by UN resolutions.
