A majority of Palestinian detainees are civilian individuals, with military personnel accounting for roughly a quarter of the total number.

In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, the offensive in Gaza has resulted in a significant humanitarian crisis. Approximately 1,370,000 people have been displaced, and over 63,000 deaths have been reported, according to various sources. The attacks have also destroyed nearly all of Gaza's infrastructure and over 14,000 homes.

The offensive began after the attacks by the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas, which controls the enclave, on 07 October 2023 in southern Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and over two hundred refugees. The Israeli Army has announced control of 40% of Gaza City.

However, the offensive has been met with accusations of war crimes by various human rights organizations. Israel has been criticized for "deliberately kidnapping" civilians in large numbers and holding them for extended periods in "atrocious conditions," according to testimonies from former refugees and Israeli soldiers who served in detention centers.

The Israeli Army spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, contests these allegations, stating that most suspects brought to Israel were deemed involved in terrorist activities. To date, Israel has released over 2,500 detainees classified as "unlawful combatants," meaning they were not military.

The 2002 Unlawful Combatants Law allows Israel to detain individuals indefinitely during a war without recognizing them as prisoners of war. However, Haggai Matar, editor of +972 magazine and member of the Israeli Journalists' Union, describes the majority of prisoners being civilians as reflecting a "very dark reality" about the reasons for the detentions.

Tal Steiner, director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, states that the lack of connection to armed groups eliminates any justification for the detention. According to data from the AMAN database, only 1,450 Palestinians are associated with the military wings of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The Israeli government has imposed a blockade on the delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave, where over 150 people have already died of malnutrition and hunger, mostly children. Israel's spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, indicated that most of the individuals detained by Israel, after interrogation, were involved in terrorist activities and were not classified as illegal combatants.

The situation in Gaza remains tense, with the humanitarian crisis deepening and the conflict showing no signs of abating. The international community continues to call for an end to the violence and a resolution to the conflict that ensures the safety and well-being of all those affected.

A majority of Palestinian detainees are civilian individuals, with military personnel accounting for roughly a quarter of the total number.