Critics say law strips Palestinian detainees of due process, as Israel expands indefinite detentions following Gaza war
The Israeli Knesset (parliament) on Thursday approved the extension of a law that permits the military to detain Palestinians from the Gaza Strip without filing formal charges or allowing them to meet with lawyers.
Known as the “Unlawful Combatants Law,” the measure applies to individuals arrested in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, and grants the Israeli authorities broad powers to hold them under administrative detention.
The legislation passed its second and third readings with 30 lawmakers voting in favor and six against, according to a Knesset statement. The extension brings the law into force until Dec. 31, 2025.
Under the revised provisions, authorities can continue to hold detainees for extended periods without trial, delay court reviews of their cases, and block access to legal representation for a set duration.
As of early July, Israel was holding 2,454 Palestinians from Gaza under this designation — nearly a quarter of the 10,762 Palestinians currently in Israeli custody, figures released by the Israel Prison Service showed.
Several detainees from Gaza have reportedly died in Israeli prisons due to torture, starvation, and medical neglect, according to Israeli and Palestinian rights groups and media reports.
Israel has killed more than 59,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, collapsed the health system, and led to severe food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
