Qais Omar Darwesh Omar
02 June 2026•Update: 02 June 2026
Israeli forces detained four university students in the occupied West Bank, bringing the number of Palestinian women held in Israeli jails to 89, a prisoner advocacy group said Tuesday.
In a statement, the Palestinian Prisoner Society said Israeli forces arrested 35 Palestinians during raids across the West Bank overnight, including four female students from Birzeit University near Ramallah.
The arrests brought the number of Palestinian women currently held in Israeli custody to 89, according to the organization.
The group said the female detainees include three minors, three pregnant women, 19 administrative detainees and two women suffering from cancer.
Most are being held at Damon Prison in northern Israel, while others are detained in Israeli interrogation and detention centers, it added.
The organization said female prisoners face harsh detention conditions, including hunger, medical neglect, solitary confinement, repeated assaults, humiliating searches and overcrowded cells that force some detainees to sleep on the floor.
It also reported an increase in punitive measures against female detainees, including physical abuse and administrative detention orders, as well as arrests linked to what Israel describes as incitement.
According to the group, more than 760 Palestinian women have been arrested by Israeli forces since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The organization warned of deteriorating health conditions among female prisoners, particularly those suffering from chronic illnesses, and accused Israel of denying adequate medical treatment.
Israeli authorities did not immediately comment on the statement.
According to Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups, conditions in Israeli prisons have significantly worsened since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Violence has also surged across the occupied West Bank since October 2023, with Palestinian officials reporting 1,168 deaths, 12,666 injuries, nearly 23,000 arrests and the displacement of around 33,000 people.
*Writing by Sahin Demir in Istanbul
