DaysOfPal — Israeli forces have arrested more than 2,000 Palestinian children since the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in October 2023, with at least 350 still held in Israeli prisons, where they face torture, starvation, solitary confinement, and medical neglect, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said Wednesday.
The organization warned that the scale of child detentions is even greater than documented, as the fate of Palestinian minors taken from Gaza remains largely unknown amid allegations of enforced disappearance and secret detention.
In its latest statement, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said Israeli forces arrested at least six more children during overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, particularly in the Hebron-area towns of Sa’ir and Ash-Shuyukh.
The group said the continuing arrests reflect a broader escalation in Israeli military operations targeting Palestinian communities since October 2023.
Palestinian Children Imprisoned Without Charge or Trial
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society condemned Israel’s use of administrative detention against Palestinian children, a practice that allows detainees to be held without formal charges or trial.
Administrative detention orders can be renewed repeatedly, leaving children and their families without a clear release date.
The organization warned that prolonged detention deprives Palestinian children of education, family life, and basic stability while exposing them to severe physical and psychological abuse.
According to the group, mistreatment begins during arrest and continues through interrogation, detention, and court proceedings, with little accountability for those responsible.
It also accused Israeli prison authorities of imposing punitive conditions that include inadequate food, isolation, and denial of essential medical treatment.
Palestinian Teenager Dies After Severe Malnutrition in Israeli Prison
The statement highlighted the death of 17-year-old Palestinian prisoner Waleed Khaled Ahmad, who died in Megiddo Prison in March 2025.
Medical findings cited by the organization showed severe emaciation, dehydration, and advanced malnutrition.
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society linked his deteriorating health to deprivation and conditions inside Israeli detention facilities.
The organization also condemned Israeli authorities’ decision to close the investigation into his death without filing charges, saying the move denied accountability for the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death.
His case has become a prominent example cited by Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups in their demands for independent investigations into deaths in Israeli custody.
Fifteen-Year-Old Prisoner Loses Leg After Severe Illness
The organization also highlighted the case of 15-year-old Mohammed Humaid, who suffered serious medical complications while detained at Ofer Prison.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, Humaid contracted scabies in custody, and his condition subsequently deteriorated into severe infections.
He underwent heart surgeries and later had one of his legs amputated.
The group linked the deterioration of his health to inadequate medical care during detention.
Humaid has been receiving treatment for nearly three months, according to the statement.
His case has intensified demands for scrutiny of medical treatment provided to Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons.
Rights Group Demands International Action
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society called on international human rights organizations and legal institutions to intervene to secure the release of Palestinian children held arbitrarily in Israeli detention facilities.
It demanded an end to administrative detention, coercive interrogation, torture, starvation, and the denial of medical care.
The organization also urged independent international investigations into abuses against detained Palestinian minors and criminal accountability for those responsible.
Arrests of Palestinian children have intensified alongside Israeli military raids and operations across the occupied West Bank since October 2023.
The organization warned that the documented figure of more than 2,000 arrested children does not fully capture the situation in Gaza, where the whereabouts and conditions of detention of some minors remain unknown.
For hundreds of Palestinian children still behind bars, imprisonment has meant separation from their families, interrupted education, and exposure to conditions that rights advocates say endanger their health and lives.
