More than 2,000 Palestinian children have been detained by Israeli forces since October 2023. Of them, 350 are being held in ‘harsh and inhumane conditions,’ according to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Al Jazeera reports.
In a report published on Wednesday (October 14), the organization stated that Israeli authorities are taking various repressive measures targeting Palestinian children. The report alleged that these measures, which begin with intimidation and arrest, later escalate to torture, starvation, and deprivation of medical care.
According to the organization, Israel’s policy of detaining children without formal charges or a specified release date constitutes a violation of their rights and amounts to even more serious crimes.
The report stated that such detentions push children into uncertainty. Concurrently, they are separated from their families and deprived of normal education and family life.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society has called upon the international community to take effective measures to ensure the release of the detained Palestinian children.
The organization stated that in addition to ensuring the release of arbitrarily detained children, impartial investigations into these incidents must be conducted. Furthermore, effective measures must be taken to stop practices such as torture, starvation, and deprivation of necessary medical treatment.
According to the organization, the international community needs to play a stronger role in ensuring the protection, rights, and opportunities for detained children to return to a normal life.