08/06/2026
⭕ Unprecedented Mass Arrests by Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Women in the West Bank
⭕�Violations Against Female Political Prisoners Reach New Highs
Palestinian Prisoner’s Society
June 8, 2026
Ramallah, occupied Palestine - The Palestinian Prisoner’s Society stated that the scale of arrests and targeting of Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank is witnessing a continuous and unprecedented escalation. It noted that the number of female prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons and detention camps has risen to approximately 95 women, a figure previously recorded during the peak of the genocide.
The PPS explained that this increase followed the arrest by Israeli occupation forces, early this morning, of three women from the town of Kobar northwest of Ramallah, the city of Jenin, and the al-Ein refugee camp in Nablus, including the wife of a prisoner.
Last week, Israeli occupation forces also arrested four female students from Birzeit University, including a graduate; all were transferred to the Al-Moskobiya detention center. In addition, a young woman from Ramallah who has a physical disability was arrested.
The PPS added that the data and testimonies it continues to receive regarding violations committed against female detainees have exceeded anything recorded in previous periods in terms of both scale and severity. This is attributed to the intensification of systematic repression, accompanied by severe beatings and ongoing practices of abuse and humiliation.
It noted that, in cooperation with specialized organizations, it recently documented numerous testimonies collected during legal visits. These accounts revealed a marked increase in beatings and solitary confinement, as well as the recording of violations of a sexual nature, particularly verbal sexual harassment, strip searches, and the imposition of degrading and dangerous physical positions that compromise the bodily integrity of female prisoners during raids and suppression operations.
Some testimonies indicated that female detainees were forced to lie on their stomachs with their hands tied behind their backs before being assaulted, practices that fall under cruel, degrading, and inhumane treatment.
The PPS further stated that recent months have seen an increase in the use of solitary confinement as a punitive measure. Dozens of cases have been recorded, with some women subjected to repeated and systematic isolation at short intervals, accompanied by additional forms of abuse and humiliation.
There has been no improvement in the quality or quantity of food provided to female prisoners. It said that a policy of starvation remains in place and is worsening as the number of detainees increases. It also stated that they continue to be deprived of medical treatment, healthcare, and necessary medical follow-up, especially those suffering from chronic illnesses and health conditions requiring ongoing care.
The PPS added that the continued denial of communication with their families, along with restrictions preventing the families of prisoners from visiting, has intensified the women's psychological suffering—particularly for mothers and minor detainees—amid detention conditions that are becoming harsher day by day.
The number of female prisoners changes daily due to ongoing and escalating arrest campaigns throughout the West Bank, including Jerusalem. Recently, university students—especially students and graduates of Birzeit University—have been particularly targeted.
In this context, the PPS renewed its call on international human rights organizations to move beyond documentation and report-writing and to take effective measures, including imposing clear sanctions on Israel, citing its continued commission of genocide and its ongoing broad attacks against the Palestinian people.
The PPS asserted that what is taking place inside Israeli occupation prisons constitutes one of the most prominent aspects of this crime, through systematic efforts targeting male and female prisoners alike within a broader system of torture, serious violations, and practices aimed at stripping detainees of their human dignity and undermining the basic conditions of life.
As of today, there are 95 female prisoners, including:
* 3 girls (minors)
19 administrative detainees, including 1 minor
3 pregnant women held in detention.
