Over 2600 youths arrested since Oct Intifada

Since the outbreak of the latest anti-occupation Palestinian Intifada in Oct. 2015, at least 2,600 Palestinian children have been arrested in Israeli military detention centers notorious for the systematic ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children, rights sources revealed.

 The researcher in prisoners’ affairs Riyad al-Ashqar pointed out, in a new report marking the International Child Day, that 320 Palestinian minors are currently held in Israeli custody amid unbearable detention conditions, denied from their basic and fundamental human rights.

Al-Ashqar reported different human rights violations against the detained children including night arrests, brutal assaults, severe beating, violent interrogation techniques, ill-treatment, threats, psychological and physical torture, extracting forced confession, and banning family visits.

He also noted that Israeli arrest campaigns against Palestinian prisoners have been notably escalated since the outbreak of the Intifada. Hundreds of them were held in different detention and investigation centers, mostly in notorious Etzion detention center.

17 Palestinian minors were detained after being injured during their arrest, some of whom were transferred to prisons without any medical care or treatment, he said.

According to the report, Palestinian detained children are brought to court not accompanied by a parent and are generally interrogated without the benefit of legal advice. They are overwhelmingly accused of throwing stones and alleged stabbing attacks, an offense that can lead to a potential maximum sentence of 10 to 20 years.