Over 9,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli captivity following exchange deal
Rights groups and released Palestinians say Israeli detention centers are 'torture camps' where detainees face beatings, starvation, and denial of medical care
Palestinian prisoners' organizations say more than 9,000 remain in captivity under what one official described as “unimaginable conditions” in an interview with Al Jazeera on 14 October, despite the recent release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians as part of an exchange deal with Israel.
According to the Palestine Center for Prisoners’ Studies, at least 3,500 Palestinians are held under Israel’s so-called administrative detention, allowing imprisonment without charge or trial for an indefinite time.
Hundreds more seized from Gaza are detained under the “Unlawful Combatant” law, also without charge, among them 52 women, about 400 minors, and dozens of medical workers, journalists, and civilians accused of “incitement.”
Before the genocide began, Israeli jails held roughly 5,000 Palestinians.
That figure more than doubled to over 11,000 by October 2025, dropping to around 9,000 after the latest exchange deal as part of the latest ceasefire.
The latest ceasefire deal saw the release of the last remaining 20 living Israeli captives in Gaza, marking the third exchange since October 2023, which, according to the Prisoners’ Media Office, has brought the total number of Palestinians released since then to around 4,000.
Earlier swaps included 240 Palestinians for 105 Israelis during a seven-day truce, and 1,778 Palestinians for 38 Israelis in January and February. In total, 3,985 Palestinians have been released in exchange for 163 Israelis.
Rights groups describe Israeli prisons as “torture camps,” where detainees endure daily beatings, starvation, humiliation, and sexual abuse.
Due to the systemic torture, malnutrition, and denial of medical care, at least 78 prisoners have died in the past two years.
Samir Zaqout, deputy director of Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, said in an interview with Al Jazeera that freed detainees are in dire condition and urgently need rehabilitation.
“They are coming from one hell to another,” he said from Deir al-Balah, describing Gaza as unlivable and lacking basic medical supplies.
“Emotionally, they are happy because they were released,” Zaqout added, “but they were subjected to physical and psychological torture all the time inside Israeli jails.”
He said detainees are stripped, blindfolded, beaten, and sometimes used as human shields during arrest.
“They give 12 people two or three blankets,” Zaqout said, describing the deprivation of sleep, food, and basic hygienic needs.
Conditions, he noted, worsened after 7 October 2023, when Israeli officials vowed to make prisons “a hell for Palestinians.”
Tala Nasser, a lawyer with Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, said Israel continues to block Red Cross access and family visits.
“The end of the war doesn’t mean the end of Israeli crimes,” she said. “Those responsible must be held to account for the grave violations committed against Palestinian prisoners.”
Prisoner affairs activist Thamer Sabaaneh said Israel uses detainees for revenge.
“I expect prisoners to launch a real and serious movement to change life in detention and fight to improve their conditions,” he said, adding that “Some of them had already told Israeli officers before the deal that they would not stay silent if they weren’t released.”