Israel has arrested 2,000 Palestinian children since 2023: Report

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories

Israeli army soldiers take position during a raid in the Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank, on Aug. 28, 2024. (AFP File Photo)

Israel has arrested more than 2,000 Palestinian children since the start of its war in the Gaza Strip, with at least 350 still in detention under harsh conditions, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a report on Oct. 14.

The non-governmental organization that the Israeli army arrested six children overnight in the towns of Sa’ir and Al-Shuyukh in the Hebron governorate of the occupied West Bank.

Monitoring and documentation indicate that “more than 2,000 children have been arrested since the start of the genocide in October 2023, while at least 350 remain in detention under harsh conditions,” it said.

The group warned of an escalation in the targeting of Palestinian children through practices including intimidation, arrest, torture, starvation, isolation and denial of health care.
It added that information on the number of children detained from the Gaza Strip since the start of the war remains unclear, particularly amid the presence of thousands of missing people in the enclave, including children, and the continued practice of “enforced disappearance.”

The group said Israel’s administrative detention policy, under which Palestinian detainees are held without a publicly stated charge or a clear timeframe for release, leaves children facing an uncertain future and deprives them of family and educational stability.

It also said Israeli courts contribute to the continuation of violations against children amid the absence of effective accountability.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society cited the case of child Walid Khaled Ahmad, who “died in Megiddo Prison in March 2025, amid medical findings at the time indicating severe emaciation and signs of malnutrition and dehydration.”

It also highlighted the case of 15-year-old Mohammed Hamid, who it said developed scabies while detained in Ofer Prison, leading to a deterioration in his health and serious infections affecting vital organs.