Macron Becomes First Western Leader to Acknowledge Israel Holds Palestinian Hostages

Paris (Quds News Network)- French President Emmanuel Macron has become the first Western leader to publicly acknowledge and condemn that Israel is holding Palestinian hostages.

Speaking before a crowd, Macron said, “I pushed everyone to say, ‘First release the hostages, and a ceasefire,’ and therefore we must push.” When asked whether that includes Palestinians, he replied, “Yes, all of them. All of them. On both sides.” His response drew applause.

Macron’s words come amid growing international concern over Israel’s treatment of Palestinian hostages, especially since the start of its genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023.

According to Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups, over 16,400 Palestinians have been kidnapped since the genocide began. This includes more than 510 women and 1,300 children. Thousands more have been forcibly disappeared, particularly from Gaza.

The total number of Palestinian hostages in Israel has now exceeded 9,900 known cases. They are held across 27 detention centers, not including undisclosed sites where many Gazan detainees are believed to be kept in secret.

Among those hostages are:

• 29 women

• 400 children under 18

• Approximately 3,500 administrative detainees, most held without charge under so-called secret files

Israeli authorities classify 1,747 hostages from Gaza as “unlawful combatants.” This label denies them basic legal protections and has enabled Israel to bar the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting them.

Israeli officials have repeatedly admitted that many of these detainees are being held as “bargaining chips,” with no trial, no charges, no evidence, no legal suspicion, no access to lawyers, and no Red Cross visits. Rights groups say this amounts to hostage-taking on a mass scale, violating international humanitarian law.

Human rights organizations report the creation of new military-run prisons specifically for Palestinians. These include:

• Sde Teiman camp, described as a center for torture

• Rakefet Prison

• Anatot and Menashe military camps

• Ofer and Naftali facilities

These camps operate under the Israeli military and are known for harsh conditions, widespread abuse, and near-total secrecy.

Testimonies from released hostages and legal teams describe shocking levels of systematic torture, especially of hostages from Gaza. Documented abuses include:

• Severe physical beatings

• Prolonged starvation

• Medical neglect

• Sexual assaults, including rape

These violations have contributed to the deaths of over 680 Palestinian detainees, according to rights monitors. The number of bodies held by Israel has also risen, adding to the trauma of families who are denied closure.

Since 1967, over 1 million Palestinians have been kidnapped by Israel, including:

• More than 50,000 children

• Over 17,000 women, many of them mothers

• At least 60,000 subjected to administrative detention without charge or trial

Israel’s amendments to the Unlawful Combatants Law have deepened the institutionalized forced disappearance. The law strips detainees of rights, allows indefinite detention, and keeps their locations and conditions hidden.

Israeli forces continue to escalate abductions across the West Bank, often accompanied by field interrogations, beatings, threats, and summary executions. Entire families are left in the dark about the fate of their loved ones.

Rights groups warn that this expanding system of detentions and secret prisons amounts to a silent genocide targeting Palestinian existence, with little international pushback.

Macron’s comments mark a shift, but Palestinians and rights defenders say acknowledgment must be followed by accountability. Until then, Israel’s shadow prison system continues to grow, largely unchecked.