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

Israel has arrested more than 2,000 Palestinian children since the start of its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, with at least 350 still in detention under harsh conditions, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a report on Wednesday. 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 on 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. Detention conditions 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.” The group raised questions about accountability for his death, noting that the investigation into the case had been closed. 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. Hamid underwent heart surgeries and was admitted to intensive care in critical condition before one of his legs was later amputated, the group said. It added that Hamid has continued receiving treatment for about three months since Israeli authorities released him following the deterioration of his health, a move the group described as “an evasion of responsibility for his medical care.” The group called for international action to secure the release of children held arbitrarily, end administrative detention and coercive interrogations, and stop torture, starvation and the denial of medical treatment. It stressed the need to move beyond documentation and condemnation toward concrete measures that end the violations and bring impunity to an end, saying that “protecting Palestinian children requires firm international intervention to ensure respect for their rights, lives and dignity.” Since October 2023, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 175,000 injured in Gaza in the Israeli genocide since October 2023, while around 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure has 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 the start of Israel’s genocide against the Gaza Strip in October 2023.