Ramallah, January 08 (QNA) - The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said that the total number of female Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation prisons rose to 52 during the current month of January, following the arrest of five women, including a journalist and two former detainees.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the organization said the continued escalation in targeting women comes during one of the bloodiest periods for Palestinian women throughout the years of occupation. It noted that since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, more than 650 cases of arrest among women have been recorded, in addition to war crimes and grave violations committed against them, accompanied by horrific abuses.

The Prisoners' Club added that the systematic escalation has targeted women across all Palestinian areas, including minors. It has also involved the arrest of women as hostages. This policy has affected dozens of women in an attempt to pressure targeted family members to surrender to the occupation. The organization described this practice as one of the most prominent crimes that has sharply intensified since the beginning of the genocidal war.

Regarding the grounds for arrest, the statement said that the vast majority of cases are linked to freedom of opinion and expression, or what the occupation claims to be incitement via social media. It added that most female detainees are currently held on charges related to alleged incitement, with 16 of them under administrative detention. (QNA)