Under the revised provisions, authorities can continue to hold detainees for extended periods without trial, delay court reviews of their cases, and block access to legal representation for a set duration.
The Israeli parliament (Knesset) approved the extension of a law on Thursday that permits the army to detain Palestinians from the Gaza Strip without filing formal charges or allowing them to meet with lawyers.
Known as the “Unlawful Combatants Law,” the measure applies to individuals arrested in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and grants the Israeli authorities broad powers to hold them under administrative detention, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Addameer ‘Terrorist’ Designation Affirms the Centrality of Prisoner Struggle
The legislation passed its second and third readings with 30 lawmakers voting in favor and six against, according to a Knesset statement. The extension brings the law into force until December 31, 2025.
Under the revised provisions, authorities can continue to hold detainees for extended periods without trial, delay court reviews of their cases, and block access to legal representation for a set duration.
Legal Access Curtailed
According to the official Palestinian news agency, WAFA, the law was first enacted in 2002, but was rarely used until it was expanded after October 7, 2023. It has allowed for detainees to be held for 30 days without indictment, and brought before a judge only after 45 days, often via remote Zoom hearings, the report stated.
The law allows for a 45-day ban on meetings with an attorney, which may now be extended by an additional 30 days, following a court decision.
Highest since Second Intifada: Around 10,800 Palestinians in Israeli Prisons
Anadolu reported that as of early July, Israel was holding 2,454 Palestinians from Gaza under this designation — nearly a quarter of the 10,762 Palestinians currently in Israeli custody, figures released by the Israel Prison Service showed.
Torture and Abuse
Several detainees from Gaza have reportedly died in Israeli prisons due to torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Israeli and Palestinian rights groups and media reports.
In its latest report on Thursday, Palestinian prisoner rights groups said that detainees from Gaza held in Israeli prisons have reported severe physical and psychological abuse, including being forced to drink alcohol and subjected to burning by boiling water.
‘Shattered Futures’ – PCHR Documents Torture of Gaza Detainees
In a joint statement, the Palestinian Prisoners Society and the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs said their legal teams collected testimonies during visits to multiple Israeli facilities in July, including Ketziot, Ofer, Sde Teiman, and the Russian Compound, Anadolu reported.
“These testimonies reflect unprecedented levels of torture during arrest and interrogation,” the groups said, adding that detainees continue to face “medical crimes, deliberate starvation, and systematic abuse inside prisons and military camps.”
War Crimes
One detainee said he was forced to drink alcohol, while another reported attempting suicide after an Israeli interrogator falsely told him that all his family members had been killed — a claim later proven untrue.
Other accounts included severe beatings while stripped of clothing, burning with boiling water, and a dog attack that left one detainee injured.
‘Graves for the Living’ – Rights Group Says Israel Violates Rights of Detainees
“These testimonies are only a small part of hundreds of accounts documented by Gaza detainees,” the statement reads, stressing that dozens have died as a result of torture and many others remain forcibly disappeared.
The groups reportedly said these acts amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and called on international institutions to investigate and hold Israeli officials accountable.
Staggering Death Toll
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 59,000, wounding more than 142,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Breaking | Israeli occupation forces release 10 Palestinian children after they were forcibly detained near an alleged aid distribution site northern Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, weeks ago. pic.twitter.com/OMqgeOkCHk
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) July 24, 2025
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western powers.
(Anadolu, WAFA, PC)
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