Statistics on administrative detention in the Occupied Territories

At the end of December 2024, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) was holding 3,327 Palestinians in administrative detention. Also, in some cases, the military holds administrative detainees, usually for short periods of time, until there is room for them in an IPS facility.

At the end of 2020, the IPS adopted a new policy and stopped providing B'Tselem with the requested figures. Instead, it has since published some data on the IPS website every three months. The first year this occurred (July 2020 through September 2021), the figures published were partial and therefore are not included here. The figures from the military are received with a significant time delay and provide no details regarding inmates’ legal standing.

The following figures were provided or published by the military and the IPS, so responsibility for their accuracy lies with them.

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Administrative detainees by duration in custody

* The diagrams above show the number of administrative detainees on a given day in December of each year, according to figures we received for that day, as detailed in the tables below. We do not have figures available for the overall number of administrative detainees in a given month.

2024 - Administrative detainees – Palestinians, Israeli citizens and foreign nationals – held by the IPS and the military*

*In parentheses: the number of Palestinians out of all detainees

2023 - Administrative detainees – Palestinians, Israeli citizens and foreign nationals – held by the IPS and the military*

Administrative detainees by duration in custody

2022 - Administrative detainees – Palestinians, Israeli citizens and foreign nationals – held by the IPS and the military*

*In parentheses: the number of Palestinians out of all detainees

2021 - Administrative detainees – Palestinians, Israeli citizens and foreign nationals – held by the IPS and the military*

*In parentheses: the number of Palestinians out of all detainees
 

2020 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

2019 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

2018 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

* One Palestinian resident of the Gaza Strip was held by the IPS under the Illegal Combatants Law from Aug. 2014 to April 2018, although he did not always appear in the IPS data.

2017 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

* One Palestinian resident of the Gaza Strip was held by the IPS under the Illegal Combatants Law from Aug. 2014 to April 2018, although he did not always appear in the IPS data.

2016 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

* One Palestinian resident of the Gaza Strip was held by the IPS under the Illegal Combatants Law from Aug. 2014 to April 2018, although he did not always appear in the IPS data.

2015 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

* One Palestinian resident of the Gaza Strip was held by the IPS under the Illegal Combatants Law from Aug. 2014 to April 2018, although he did not always appear in the IPS data.

2014 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

* One Palestinian resident of the Gaza Strip was held by the IPS under the Illegal Combatants Law from Aug. 2014 to April 2018, although he did not always appear in the IPS data.

2013 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

2012 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

2011 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

2010 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

2009 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military 

Administrative detainees by duration of detention, 2009

2008 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

2007 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

2006 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

2005 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

Note: Since February 2005, the Prisons Service has refused to provide B'Tselem with figures on detainees and prisoners on a regular, free of charge basis, as it did previously. Since then B'Tselem had to request the information monthly, under the Law on Freedom of information.

2004 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

2003 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

2002 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

2001 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

From the beginning of the intifada (December 9, 1987) until today, thousands of Palestinians have been held in administrative detention for periods ranging from six months to several years.

The following table details the number of Palestinian residents of the Occupied Territories who were held by Israel in administrative detention on particular dates since November 1989. B'Tselem does not have summary statistics on the total number of Palestinians held in administrative detention during each year.

1989-2004 - Palestinian administrative detainees held by the IPS and the military

1. Beginning in August 2008, the figures include Palestinian prisoners who are residents of East Jerusalem. In  its figures for previous months and years, the IPS did not include these prisoners in their figures on Palestinian prisoners.
2. Almost all Palestinian prisoners are now held in installations run by the Israel Prisons Service. On 3 October 2006, responsibility for Ofer Prison was transferred from the IDF to the IPS. Responsibility for Megiddo Prison was transferred to the IPS on 15 February 2005, and for Ketziot Prison on 1 March 2006.
3. * = No statistics provided.
4. Over the years, nine Israeli citizens residing in settlements in the West Bank have been administratively detained for periods up to six months.
5. Between December 1999 and January 2004, Israel held Lebanese prisoners in administrative detention as hostages for potential exchanges for Israelis taken prisoner or missing from the Lebanon War. Over the years Israel released these hostages, and the last of them were released in a prisoner exchange in January 2004.