22 Second Section: The variable in human rights and public rights in Palestine 2.1 The variable in civil and political rights 2.1.1 The right to life According to initial information documented by the ICHR, based on Police preliminary investigations into unnatural deaths, the ICHR monitored 196 incidents of death in unnatural circumstances, including 46 women, 150 men, and 37 children. Unnatural deaths also included 5 persons with disabilities (PWDs) and 10 older persons. Twenty five (25) death sentences4 were entered, exclusively by civil and military courts in the Gaza Strip against adult males. Compared to 33 in 2021, a total of 41 complaints on abuses of the right to life were received by the ICHR. Unnatural deaths ensued medical treatment on account of medical malpractice in the West Bank. Complaints on judicially ordered death sentences were lodged, requesting that relevant government agencies be contacted to mitigate or suspend judicial executions. Others pertained to deaths inside detention facilities, and deaths resulting from the abuse of arms or use of force by law enforcement personnel. Two complaints were lodged on some deaths reported in mysterious circumstances. With regard to government actions taken to protect the right to life, the President of the State of Palestine continued to uphold his policy, refraining from approving death sentences rendered by courts in the Gaza Strip. The Law by decree on Protection from Domestic Violence was not approved. Necessary measures and actions were not taken to put into effect the Law by Decree on Medical and Health Protection and Safety of 2018. Within the framework of protection of the human right to life by civil courts, the High Judicial Council (HJC) reported that the West Bank courts heard 129 cases of murder, carried forward 698 cases, and disposed 74 cases. In this context, the ICHR highlights the need for revisiting the legal framework for the death penalty in accordance with relevant legal processes and international standards. This will ensure consistence with the international conventions to which the State of Palestine acceded, particularly the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on the abolition 4 This year and years before, after death sentences are entered, the ICHR has consistently reiterated its position rejecting these penalties, which violate the right to life. These run counter the State of Palestine’s accession to international conventions against the capital punishment, particularly the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. The ICHR has also demanded that the legal framework be reviewed with a view to reducing crimes punished by death. Otherwise, capital punishment should be abolished altogether. The Status of Human Rights in Palestine