Israeli occupation continues systematic detention of 350 Palestinian children
QUDS, April 05 (YPA) – The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said on Sunday that Israeli occupation’s authorities continue to detain Palestinian children as part of what it described as a systematic policy targeting minors. It noted that more than 1,700 children have been detained since October 7, with some later released while others remain in custody.
In its report, the office stated that about 350 children are currently held in occupation’s prisons, mainly in juvenile sections at Ofer and Megiddo facilities. It also indicated that dozens of children from the Gaza Strip have been detained during the ongoing war.
The office added that arrests are often accompanied by a range of violations, including enforced disappearance, denial of access to lawyers, and restrictions on family contact, which complicate efforts by human rights groups to verify numbers and detention conditions.
According to the report, the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child prohibits the arbitrary detention of minors and stresses that detention should be used only as a last resort and for the shortest possible time, while ensuring humane treatment. It said these standards—particularly Article 37, which bans torture and guarantees legal rights—are being violated.
The report further stated that conditions inside prisons affect all detainees, including children, citing allegations of torture, starvation, medical neglect, and the spread of disease.
It added that arrest practices have intensified since October 7, frequently involving violent nighttime raids in which children are taken without being allowed to gather belongings or say goodbye to their families.
It also said that detained children are often handcuffed, blindfolded, and beaten during transfer and interrogation, which reportedly takes place without legal representation and under conditions that breach international norms.
The office reported that around 180 children are being held under administrative detention until the end of 2025 without formal charges, leaving them in prolonged uncertainty.
It described detention conditions as harsh, marked by overcrowding, inadequate clothing and bedding, poor ventilation, limited family visits, and the spread of skin diseases and malnutrition, along with strict movement restrictions and insufficient medical care.
The report included testimonies from detained children describing physical abuse and humiliation during arrest and questioning. It also cited the death of Walid Khaled Ahmed in Megiddo Prison in March 2025, which it attributed to torture, mistreatment, and starvation, based on medical findings.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office concluded that the continued detention of hundreds of children constitutes a serious violation of international law and called for an end to such practices and greater protection for Palestinian minors.