Leaked Israeli intel reveals 75% of Gaza detainees are civilians, not fighters
By isabelle // 2025-09-05
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  • Israel’s own military data reveals 75% of Palestinian detainees are civilians—including children, elderly, and disabled—held without charge or trial.
  • Detainees face systematic torture, starvation, and denial of basic rights while Israel admits using them as bargaining chips in hostage negotiations.
  • Over 100 medical workers, journalists, and even a surgeon from Al-Shifa Hospital have been beaten, electrocuted, or killed in Israeli custody.
  • An 82-year-old Alzheimer’s patient and a single mother whose children resorted to begging are among the innocent victims of Israel’s mass detention dragnet.
  • International law prohibits arbitrary detention, yet Israel continues its brutal campaign with no accountability, as leaked documents expose the scale of its war crimes.
For months, Israel has claimed that its mass detention of Palestinians from Gaza was necessary to root out Hamas fighters. But newly leaked military intelligence data, obtained by The Guardian in partnership with +972 Magazine and Local Call, tells a different story: only 25% of detainees are classified as combatants. The remaining 75% is made up of thousands of civilians, including medical workers, teachers, elderly individuals, disabled people, and even children, all held without charge or trial in abusive Israeli prisons. This isn’t just a case of mistaken identity; it’s a systematic campaign of arbitrary detention that has seen innocent people tortured, starved, and denied basic human rights. And the worst part? Israel’s own military admits it.

A database of deception

Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate maintains a classified database of more than 47,000 alleged Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters. Yet, as of May 2025, only 1,450 of the 6,000 detainees were confirmed combatants. That means 4,550 civilians with no ties to militant groups were swept up in Israel’s dragnet, stripped of their rights, and thrown into prisons notorious for abuse. One Israeli officer who led mass arrests in Khan Younis admitted that his unit made no distinction between actual fighters and civilians. "It’s inconceivable," he said. "You take a man, a boy, a youth, from his family, and send him to Israel for interrogation. If he ever comes back, how will he even find them again?" Even more damning? Senior Israeli officers told Haaretz in late 2023 that "85 to 90 percent" of detainees were not Hamas members. So why are they still being held?

Torture, humiliation, and the "geriatric pen"

The conditions inside Israeli detention centers are nothing short of horrific. At Sde Teiman, a military base infamous for torture, detainees—including the sick, elderly, and disabled—were crammed into a hangar dubbed "the geriatric pen." One soldier described seeing "men in wheelchairs, people without legs, or with legs that were basically useless." An 82-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s, Fahamiya Al-Khalidi, was arrested in December 2023 and held for six weeks despite being so disoriented she didn’t even know her own age. A military medic who treated her said, "She’s classified as an unlawful combatant. The way that label is used is insane." Then there’s Abeer Ghaban, a single mother of three who was detained at a checkpoint. When she was finally released after 53 days, she found her children—ages 10, 9, and 7—begging on the streets of Gaza. "They were alive, but seeing the state they had been in for 53 days without me broke me," she said. "I wished I had remained in prison rather than seeing them like that." The mass detention of civilians isn’t just about "security"; it’s about leverage. Israeli soldiers and politicians have openly admitted that detainees are being held as bargaining chips in hostage negotiations.

Doctors, journalists, and children... no one is safe

Among those detained are over 100 medical workers, including doctors who were beaten, electrocuted, and tortured in Israeli custody. One surgeon from Al-Shifa Hospital described detainees being "sat on, kicked with boots, and beaten with rifle butts." Another doctor, Adnan Al-Bursh, died in custody after being arrested in December 2023. Even children haven’t been spared. Nesreen Deifallah spent months searching for her 16-year-old son, Moatasem, who disappeared after going to look for food. She only learned he was alive when a freed detainee recognized him in prison. This isn’t just about wrongful imprisonment—it’s about systematic abuse. Detainees have reported torture, sexual assault, starvation, and medical neglect. Dozens have died in custody. International law is clear: Civilians cannot be detained unless they pose an immediate security threat. Yet Israel is holding thousands under brutal conditions, with no transparency, no due process, and no accountability.

What happens now?

Israel’s military has tried to downplay the revelations, calling the leaked data "wrong" and claiming detentions are based on "specific intelligence." But the numbers don’t lie: 75% of detainees are civilians, and the world is starting to take notice. For years, Israel has operated with impunity, shielding its actions behind national security rhetoric. But when 82-year-old Alzheimer’s patients, single mothers, and children are being locked up alongside actual combatants, the facade of legitimacy crumbles. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co 972Mag.com TheGuardian.com MiddleEastEye.net
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