Israel holds nearly 370 Palestinian children behind bars – rights groups

The number of minors held without charge or trial has nearly doubled in just over a year, according to Israeli prison data

Nearly 370 Palestinian children are being held in Israeli prisons, many without having been convicted of a crime, RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij reported, citing Palestinian and Israeli rights organizations.

The number of minors held under administrative detention – which allows imprisonment without charge or trial – has almost doubled in just over a year, according to the latest figures from Israel’s prison service.

Israel says around 90% of the detained minors are being held for security-related reasons but have not been convicted, according to an RT report. Prison terms generally range from two to three years, although some minors have received sentences of between ten and 20 years.

Israeli police also report that around 100 minors are detained each month for entering Israel without a permit.

The detentions have come amid mounting allegations of mistreatment inside Israeli prisons. Former detainees and rights organizations have reported abuse, torture, starvation, physical and psychological harm, sexual violence and denial of medical treatment.

Israel is also holding the bodies of more than 100 Palestinians who died in its custody, according to a recent report cited by RT.

The situation in the West Bank has received comparatively little international attention amid the war in Gaza, where Israeli military operations have caused widespread destruction and displacement.

Gaza’s Health Ministry has put the Palestinian death toll since October 2023 at 73,386, with another 174,250 people wounded. Israel launched its military campaign following the Hamas-led October 7 attack on southern Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.

Meanwhile, arrests and raids have continued across the West Bank, leaving a growing number of Palestinian minors in Israeli custody.

Watch the full report by RT correspondent Charlotte Dubenskij below.