OMM Newsroom
More than 2,000 Palestinian children have been arrested since October 2023, and at least 350 remain in detention under harsh conditions, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a report issued on Wednesday.
The Palestinian non-governmental organization said Israeli forces arrested six children overnight in the towns of Sa'ir and Al-Shuyukh in the Hebron governorate of the occupied West Bank.
The group warned of what it described as an increase in the targeting of Palestinian children through intimidation, arrest, torture, starvation, isolation and denial of health care.
It said the number of children detained from the Gaza Strip since the start of the war was unclear, particularly given the thousands of people reported missing in the enclave, including children, and what it called the continued practice of enforced disappearance.
The society said Israel’s administrative detention policy, which it described as holding Palestinians without a publicly stated charge or a clear release timeframe, leaves children facing an uncertain future and disrupts their family and educational stability. It also said Israeli courts contribute to continued violations against children in the absence of effective accountability.
Group cites deaths and serious illness in detention
The report cited the case of Walid Khaled Ahmad, a child who died in Megiddo Prison in March 2025. The group said medical findings at the time indicated severe emaciation and signs of malnutrition and dehydration, and questioned accountability after the investigation into his death was closed.
It also highlighted the case of 15-year-old Mohammed Hamid, who the group said developed scabies while detained in Ofer Prison. His health deteriorated, and he developed serious infections affecting vital organs, the report said.
Hamid underwent heart surgeries and was admitted to intensive care in critical condition before one of his legs was later amputated, according to the group. It said he had continued receiving treatment for about three months after Israeli authorities released him following the deterioration of his health, describing the release as an evasion of responsibility for his medical care.
The Palestinian Prisoners Society called for international action to secure the release of children it said were held arbitrarily, end administrative detention and coercive interrogations, and stop torture, starvation and denial of medical treatment. It urged the international community to take measures to end the violations and impunity.
The report also said that since October 2023, more than 74,000 Palestinians had been killed and over 175,000 injured in Gaza, while around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure had been damaged or destroyed.
Israeli army raids and attacks by occupiers against Palestinians and their property have intensified in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023, the report said.
