Palestinians returning to Gaza after being detained by Israel await medical examination at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah on April 10, 2025. Anadolu
Palestinians returning to Gaza after being detained by Israel await medical examination at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah on April 10, 2025. Anadolu
Palestinians returning to Gaza after being detained by Israel await medical examination at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah on April 10, 2025. Anadolu
Palestinians returning to Gaza after being detained by Israel await medical examination at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah on April 10, 2025. Anadolu

Vast majority of Gazans detained by Israeli military are civilians, investigation finds


Thomas Helm
  • English
  • Arabic

The Israeli military identifies only a quarter of the Gazan detainees it holds as combatants, according to an investigation based on classified Israeli military data.

The investigation's findings, published on Thursday by British newspaper The Guardian, the Israeli-Palestinian online outlet +972 Magazine and the Hebrew-language news website Local Call, show that the majority of detainees are civilians held without charge or proper legal process, including Palestinian children as well as the sick and disabled.

The report is the latest indictment of Israel's detention of Palestinians from Gaza since it launched a military offensive in the enclave in October 2023. Rights groups have said conditions at the military's detention centres are degrading.

The investigation highlights the cases of an 82-year-old woman with Alzheimer's who was imprisoned for six weeks, and a single mother who was separated from her children and found them begging on the streets when she was freed.

Demonstrators broke into the Sde Teiman detention centre after military police entered to arrest soldiers suspected of abusing a Palestinian inmate. Reuters
Demonstrators broke into the Sde Teiman detention centre after military police entered to arrest soldiers suspected of abusing a Palestinian inmate. Reuters

The database shows that as of May this year, only 1,450 of the nearly 6,000 Gazans being held under “unlawful combatants” laws that permit imprisonment without charge, have been identified as fighters.

The Israeli military rejected the investigation, saying it was based on “numerous inaccuracies” and a “misunderstanding of the detention procedures in Israel”.

The degrading detention of Palestinians has been a concern throughout the Gaza war. Last year, The National spoke to an Israeli physician who worked at the Sde Teiman detention centre, who said they felt “complicit in war crimes” after visiting a field hospital at the centre.

They said that every detainee had “each arm and leg handcuffed to the sides of the bed”. All of them were blindfolded, and “all the patients I interacted with were naked besides a diaper and a fleece blanket for little warmth. Besides that, they were completely exposed”, said the physician, who is one of many whistle-blowers.

The UN has documented cases of Palestinians being beaten, attacked by dogs and sexually assaulted in detention centres where the vast majority of inmates are not designated as combatants.

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Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)

Women’s Singles 
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Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)

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Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

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1. Fasting 

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3. Hajj 

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Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR

Engine: 5.7-litre V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 362hp

Torque: 530Nm

Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)

The biog

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Position: Head of the Criminal Registration Department at Hatta police

Family: Five sons and three daughters

The first female investigator in Hatta.

Role Model: Father

She believes that there is a solution to every problem

 

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Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company

Countries offering golden visas

UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.

Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.

Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.

Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.

Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence. 

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Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

The Word for Woman is Wilderness
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Develop an innovative business concept

Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors

Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19

Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.) 

Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months

Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses

Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business

* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

Updated: September 04, 2025, 1:02 PM