The State Audit Committee, headed by MK Alon Shuster, held a discussion today (Monday) on the State Comptroller's report on the imprisonment, release, and prosecution of security prisoners following the Iron Swords War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report presented to the committee revealed that even before the events of October 7, the State of Israel was in an ongoing incarceration crisis. The number of prisoners was approximately 16,000, of which over 5,000 were security prisoners - approximately 12% above the established incarceration standard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the war, the number of prisoners increased to approximately 23,000, of which approximately 10,000 were security prisoners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also emerged that as of February 2025, the prison system was short of approximately 3,500 prison places and that the state had not completed sufficient preparations for emergency scenarios involving the absorption of thousands of security prisoners in a short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Committee Chairman, MK Alon Shuster: "Wars are not an esoteric phenomenon in the State of Israel. The question is not just how many prisoners are currently being held, but whether the State of Israel is prepared to absorb thousands of additional detainees and prisoners in a short time in the event of a large-scale campaign. Such preparedness does not amount to construction alone; it requires planning for manpower, command, control, alternative facilities, and the ability to respond quickly to extreme situations.". <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\""The State of Israel must ensure that the prison system can also meet exceptional security challenges, without relying over time on solutions of overcrowding and expanding the existing one. The High Court of Justice ruling obliges the state and we must ensure that there is a systematic plan for meeting the established living space goals. Ultimately, a clear, measurable and feasible goal is required, alongside a monitoring mechanism that will regularly examine the gap between the current situation and the established goals. The committee's role is to ensure that the state not only identifies the problem but also makes consistent progress towards solving it."\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eitan Dahan, director of the Defense System Audit Division at the State Comptroller's Office, presented the report's findings and said: "Within the framework of the incarceration standard, no separation was made between standards intended for criminal prisoners and those intended for security prisoners. Until the outbreak of the Iron Swords War, the IDF and the Prison Service did not carry out headquarters work to coordinate the absorption of security prisoners in exceptional events. The preparedness plans were based largely on overcrowding and expanding existing facilities, and not on creating sufficient incarceration reserves for emergency scenarios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\""We found that the confinement shortage also had operational implications. When there are not enough confinement places, restrictions may arise on carrying out arrests and interrogations, affecting the ability of security forces to thwart."\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also emerged during the discussion that in July 2024, 19 illegal fighters were released, including the director of Shifa Hospital, without update and approval from the political echelon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report noted that there was reasonable basis to assume that their release could harm state security, especially at a time when Israeli hostages were still being held in the Gaza Strip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A representative of the Ministry of National Security told the committee that the issue of the incarceration crisis has been addressed by the National Security Agency since before the Iron Sword War and that in recent years thousands of new incarceration places have been added as part of joint headquarters work by all relevant bodies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to him, dozens of new wings have been established in the prison facilities, and the system is currently in significantly better shape than it was on the eve of the war, although further expansion is still needed to meet long-term goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attorney Ohad Boozi from the Legal Division of the Prison Service said: "The Prison Service was able to respond quickly and decisively to the reality created after October 7th and adapt itself to the widespread absorption of prisoners from several combat zones at the same time. Rapid adjustments were made within the facilities, public areas were converted into places of confinement, and construction projects were advanced on a scale not seen in years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\""Along with the sharp increase in the number of security detainees, there has also been a significant increase in the number of criminal detainees, and we have been required to respond to both phenomena simultaneously while maintaining functional continuity of the system."\"<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u05d4\u05d5\u05d5\u05e2\u05d3\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d1\u05d9\u05e7\u05d5\u05e8\u05ea \u05d4\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d4, \u05d1\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d7\"\u05db \u05d0\u05dc\u05d5\u05df \u05e9\u05d5\u05e1\u05d8\u05e8, \u05e7\u05d9\u05d9\u05de\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05dd (\u05e9\u05e0\u05d9) \u05d3\u05d9\u05d5\u05df \u05d1\u05d3\u05d5\u05d7 \u05de\u05d1\u05e7\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d4 \u05d1\u05e0\u05d5\u05e9\u05d0 \u05db\u05dc\u05d9\u05d0\u05d4, \u05e9\u05d7\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8 \u05d5\u05d4\u05e2\u05de\u05d3\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d3\u05d9\u05df \u05e9\u05dc \u05d0\u05e1\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d9\u05d8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05e2\u05e7\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05de\u05dc\u05d7\u05de\u05ea \u05d7\u05e8\u05d1\u05d5\u05ea \u05d1\u05e8\u05d6\u05dc. \u05de\u05d4\u05d3\u05d5\u05d7 \u05e9\u05d4\u05d5\u05e6\u05d2 \u05d1\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d5\u05e2\u05d3\u05d4 \u05e2\u05dc\u05d4, \u05db\u05d9 \u05e2\u05d5\u05d3 \u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d0\u05d9\u05e8\u05d5\u05e2\u05d9 7 \u05d1\u05d0\u05d5\u05e7\u05d8\u05d5\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d4 \u05de\u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05ea \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc \u05de\u05e6\u05d5\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d1\u05de\u05e9\u05d1\u05e8 \u05db\u05dc\u05d9\u05d0\u05d4 \u05de\u05ea\u05de\u05e9\u05da. \u05de\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d4\u05db\u05dc\u05d5\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd \u05e2\u05de\u05d3 \u05e2\u05dc \u05db-16,000, \u05de\u05d4\u05dd \u05dc\u05de\u05e2\u05dc\u05d4 \u05de-5,000 \u05d0\u05e1\u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd \u05d1\u05d9\u05d8\u05d7\u05d5\u05e0\u05d9\u05d9\u05dd - […]","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":1048052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[22973,54278],"class_list":["post-1055322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-24","tag-22973","tag-54278"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n