Jerusalem: The Israeli army has detained more than 17,000 Palestinians since October 2023, a prisoners' affairs group reported on Wednesday. 'The detainees included 537 women and 1,360 children, who were taken into Israeli custody in the West Bank and (Arab towns) inside Israel,' the Palestinian Prisoner Society stated.

According to Anadolu Agency, the figure does not include those arrested from the Gaza Strip, whose numbers are estimated to be in the thousands. The rights group mentioned that scores of Palestinian women were arrested in Gaza, without giving an exact figure.

The group also reported that at least 70 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons, including 44 from Gaza, since October 2023. Based on the only available data provided by the Israeli authorities, around 1,846 Palestinians from Gaza were arrested and held in Israeli prisons and military camps.

The rights group estimated that the number of Palestinian detainees reached over 10,100, including more than 400 children and 45 women. The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has continued its offensive against Gaza since October 2023, resulting in the deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Furthermore, 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 actions against civilians in the enclave.