360 Palestinian Children Remain in Israeli Detention
Rights groups report 360 minors are currently held, with advocates citing severe food restrictions and mistreatment allegations.
Key points
- Israel holds 360 Palestinian children in detention, with 1,900 arrests reported from the West Bank since late 2023.
- The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the Prison Service failed to provide adequate food to detainees.
- Families and lawyers allege that minors face beatings, medical neglect, and severe hygiene restrictions in Israeli prisons.
Israel is currently holding 360 Palestinian children in detention, according to reports from prisoner advocacy organizations and United Nations bodies. These figures reflect a significant increase in arrests of minors from the occupied West Bank since the escalation of hostilities in late 2023, raising urgent concerns about the legal and humanitarian status of these young detainees.
The detention of minors has become a focal point of international scrutiny, with documented cases highlighting harsh conditions within Israeli prisons. While the Israeli government maintains that all detainees are processed through the judicial system, rights groups and family members allege that children face beatings, medical neglect, and severe restrictions on basic necessities such as food and hygiene.
Legal rulings on prisoner welfare
In September 2025, the Israeli Supreme Court determined that the Prison Service had failed to provide adequate nutrition to Palestinian prisoners. This judicial finding contradicted the official stance of the prison service, which is overseen by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has consistently rejected allegations of starvation or systemic mistreatment within the facility.
Despite the court's ruling, families of detainees report that conditions remain dire. According to Al Jazeera, lawyers representing minors have described instances where prisoners received insufficient food rations, leading to widespread hunger. The prison service has since claimed to have improved bathing schedules and other hygiene protocols, though critics argue these measures are insufficient to address the root causes of poor health outcomes.
Family accounts of detention conditions
Fidaa Zalbani, whose 17-year-old son Mohammed was arrested in 2023, describes a routine of maintaining his room in the Shu'fat refugee camp as a way to cope with his absence. Mohammed, who was sentenced to 18 years for the death of a soldier, has been held at Megiddo Prison. Zalbani stated that she has been denied visits for two years, leaving her reliant on lawyer reports of beatings and restricted food allocations.
Another case involves Ola Qatishat, a 16-year-old from Tammun in the northern West Bank. Her sister, Asia, described the arrest as a shocking raid at midnight, with family members shouting that Ola was a child. The family remains largely uninformed about the specific charges against her, which are reported as incitement. Such cases illustrate the opacity surrounding the legal proceedings for minors, where families often lack access to detailed information about their children's status or charges.
Rising numbers of minor arrests
Advocacy groups estimate that approximately 1,900 Palestinian children have been arrested from the West Bank since October 2023. The number of minors detained from Gaza remains unclear due to ongoing enforcement of disappearances and limited access to information. This surge in arrests has placed immense pressure on the judicial and detention systems, prompting calls for independent oversight and adherence to international standards for the treatment of children in conflict zones.
