Most Gaza detainees under unlawful combatants law are civilians

Classified Israeli military data reviewed by investigators shows that only about one in four Palestinians detained from Gaza since October 7, 2023 are identified in intelligence files as fighters, underscoring that the majority of the more than 6,000 people held under Israel's unlawful combatants legislation are civilians, the probe found. The figures, drawn from a military database and current as of May, point to widespread detention of teachers, medical workers, civil servants, media workers, people with chronic illnesses or disabilities, and children across Israel's campaign in Gaza.

The database, which Israeli commanders regard as a central source on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad personnel, contains roughly 47,000 named individuals. In May it listed 1,450 people as arrested, while official statistics show about 6,000 Palestinians from Gaza were being held under the unlawful combatants law. That discrepancy means three quarters of those detained were not classified in the database as fighters. Separately, up to 300 Palestinians are being held in criminal detention on alleged involvement in the October 7 attacks, which Israeli authorities say they can prosecute, though...