RAMALLAH, Oct 7 (KUNA) - Palestinian prisoner rights groups said Monday that 77 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli occupation's custody since the beginning of the war on Gaza two years ago.
In a joint statement, the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners Society, and Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association said many of the deceased were Gaza detainees held under forced disappearance. The statement noted that the Israeli occupation authorities are committing wide-scale violations amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, with legal and judicial cover, including the Israeli Supreme Court.
It detailed abuses including torture, deliberate medical neglect, starvation, theft, and collective isolation, saying such actions represent a systematic policy of physical and psychological destruction.
The Palestinian institutes described the situation as "an extended act of genocide," noting that testimonies from released Gaza detainees have revealed unprecedented levels of abuse, beginning at the moment of arrest and continuing through interrogation and detention.
Since the start of the war, over 20,000 Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank and Jerusalem, including around 1,600 children and nearly 600 women. This figure includes those who remain detained as well as those later released. (end) nq.seo