Israel still holding 1,287 Gazans under illegal combatants law, 41 arrested since ceasefire

New data provided by the state in response to a petition to the High Court of Justice shows that there are 1,287 Gazan detainees being held in Israeli prisons and detention centers under the 2002 Law for Incarcerating Illegal Combatants.

The new data, released in response to a petition against the law by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), also shows that at least 41 Gazans were detained under that law since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on October 10, 2025.

Of those incarcerated in Israel, 1,239 are being held in the facilities of the Israel Prison Service, while 48 are being held in military detention centers.

Detainees under the Law for Incarcerating Illegal Combatants are arrested by the IDF and security services inside Gaza during military operations, but have not been charged with a crime and are often held for many months without contact with their families or a lawyer.

The law is a temporary measure that has been repeatedly extended, most recently until the end of March.

“The war has ended on paper only. In practice, Israel continues to imprison detainees under a temporary order that was supposed to expire, and to hold them in inhumane conditions that amount to torture and cruel treatment,” PCATI says in response to the new information.