On October 26, the occupying state’s Minister, Yoav Galant, signed a new amendment to the Unlawful Combatants Law, an addition now officially recorded in Israel’s regulatory code. This law has been employed in the Gaza Strip to indefinitely detain Palestinians without substantive judicial oversight. Initially ratified by the Israeli Knesset in 2002, the law was intended to allow the prolonged detention of Lebanese nationals held as “bargaining chips” after the Israeli Supreme Court declared such practices unlawful. Although all Lebanese detainees were released in 2004, the law remained active. Since 2005, following Israel’s unilateral "disengagement" from Gaza and the termination of military orders in the area, it has been used to detain residents of Gaza.
On October 27, amendments to this law were published in the Nevo legal data base, designating two new military camps in Galilee:
1. Naftali Military Camp
2. Amiad Military Camp
In light of the intensified attacks by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) along the southern Lebanese border, there is a credible likelihood that these newly established military camps are intended to hold Lebanese detainees. This concern is further substantiated by the recent killing of a Lebanese detainee last week on October 19th while in IOF custody.Similar to previous statements by the Occupation's Military Police regarding “investigations” into abuses against Palestinian detainees, the occupying authorities have declared their intention to “open an investigation” into this incident. However, historical precedent indicates that over 99% of such “investigations” are consistently dismissed due to alleged “lack of evidence,” thus reinforcing longstanding concerns regarding accountability within the occupation’s military justice system.
Addameer has been rigorously documenting the appalling conditions and human rights violations occurring within the Sde Teman and Anatot military camps, established by the occupying state on October 8, 2023. This is a result of an order issued by the Israeli Minister, Yoav Galant, designating Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip as "unlawful combatants" under the Israeli Unlawful Combatants Law of 2002. The order also mandates the detention of Gaza detainees specifically within the “Sde Teman” military camp, as stipulated in sections 3(a-b).
Although the Occupation’s High Court has issued an order for the closure of the Sde Teman camp, the occupying forces continue to detain Palestinians from Gaza within its make-shift cages that are described by the detainees as “chicken coops.” Amid recent large-scale arrest campaigns in Jabalia within the Gaza Strip, a substantial number of detainees have likely been transferred to the camp over the past two weeks.Through documentation, detainees are held in deplorable conditions, enduring severe physical and psychological abuse, strip searches, systematic starvation policies, and pervasive medical neglect. These brutal practices persist within the camp’s cells and cages, amounting to an alarming pattern of inhumane and degrading treatment.
The Occupation continues to operate with impunity, facing no accountability from the international community. Without immediate intervention, Lebanese detainees risk enduring the same inhumane torture and severe human rights abuses reported within the Occupation's detention centers. Urgent international action is required to prohibit the establishment of the new military camps, Naftali and Amiad, and prevent them from being used for any form of detention. Furthermore, comprehensive intervention is essential to demand the complete dismantlement of all detention facilities operated by the Occupation, particularly in light of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling, which has reaffirmed the unlawful nature of the occupation. Such steps are critical to enforce international law, uphold human rights, and ensure justice for all detainees.