Israeli judicial system facilitates forced disappearance of Palestinian detainees: Rights groups

Palestinian rights groups on Friday said that the Israeli judicial system facilitates the crime of forced disappearance of Palestinian detainees from Gaza, calling for holding Israel accountable.

The statement, reported by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, was issued by the Palestinian Prisoner Society, the Prisoners Affairs Commission, and the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance on Aug. 30.

The statement noted that thousands of detainees are being held under the "Unlawful Combatants Law," enacted by the Israeli Knesset in 2002, which the groups argue fundamentally violates due process.

The statement further highlighted the lack of clear information regarding the number of detainees from Gaza in Israeli jails, including children and women.

The groups criticized the Israeli High Court, stating it has proven to be "a tool to entrench crimes against Palestinians." Despite several appeals to the court to reveal the identities of the Palestinians detained from Gaza, no response has been given.

Thousands of Palestinians have been arrested by the Israeli army from various areas across the Gaza Strip, yet Israeli authorities continue to refuse to disclose the exact number of those detained.

Under the UN definition, forced disappearance occurs when individuals are secretly detained by a state or its agents, with their whereabouts concealed. This leaves them beyond legal protection, causes immense suffering, and deprives them of their political and legal rights.

Israel has continued its offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,600 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,800 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.