On Palestinian Child's Day: Human rights organizations demand an end to the systematic targeting of children in occupation prisons

Three Palestinian human rights organizations have issued an urgent appeal to put an end to what they described as the 'systematic targeting' practiced by the Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian childhood. The Prisoners' Affairs Commission, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, and Al-Dameer Foundation, in a joint statement on the occasion of Palestinian Child's Day, demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all minors held in Israeli detention centers.

The human rights sources confirmed that child prisoners are subjected to grave violations and harsh detention conditions that lack the most basic human necessities, considering these practices a blatant violation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. The statement stressed that the continued detention of children constitutes a crime against humanity that requires urgent international action to hold the occupation leaders accountable for these transgressions.

Official statistics indicate that occupation forces have arrested more than 1,700 children in the West Bank governorates since the start of the genocide war on October 7, 2023. Approximately 350 children remain in detention to this day, facing difficult psychological and physical conditions inside cells that lack healthcare and educational provisions.

The human rights report described the moments of arrest as a deliberate 'first shock,' often beginning with violent raids on homes in the early hours of dawn amidst soldiers' shouts and intimidation of families. Children are led away with their hands bound and eyes blindfolded, leaving deep and long-lasting psychological effects on their development and future behavior.

In a serious development, the organizations revealed that the number of children held under 'administrative detention' has reached unprecedented levels in the history of the prisoner movement, with their number reaching 180 children by the end of 2025. These children are thrown behind bars without formal charges or fair trials, based on what is called a 'secret file' that denies the defense access to it.

The targeting is not limited to detention but extends to a comprehensive war of extermination in the Gaza Strip, where updated reports indicate the martyrdom of approximately 21,283 children since the aggression began. Children and women constitute more than 60% of the total war victims, reflecting the occupation's deliberate targeting of the most vulnerable groups in Palestinian society.

Regarding injuries, more than 44,000 children suffer from varying injuries, including 10,500 children who sustained permanent disabilities that will accompany them throughout their lives, in addition to 1,000 cases of limb amputations. The tragedy is exacerbated by the deaths of 157 children due to malnutrition and systematic starvation, and 25 children who died as a result of the harsh cold in displacement tents.

Concerning the educational reality, the aggression has resulted in the destruction of 90% of educational facilities in the Gaza Strip, depriving approximately 700,000 students of their right to education during the current academic year. This systematic ignorance is accompanied by the need for one million children in the Strip for intensive psychological and social support to cope with symptoms of depression and anxiety resulting from the horrors of war.

In the West Bank, the past two years have seen the martyrdom of 237 children by occupation bullets, coinciding with an escalation in demolition operations, forced displacement, and settlement expansion. These figures come at a time when children constitute about 43% of the total Palestinian society, meaning that the occupation directly targets the demographic future of the Palestinian people.

The human rights organizations concluded their statement by emphasizing that international silence regarding these crimes gives the occupation a green light to continue its violations. They called on the international community and UN institutions to exert real pressure to ensure the protection of Palestinian childhood and compel Israel to respect international laws that protect minors in conflict zones.

The detention of Palestinian children in occupation prisons is an unlawful violation that amounts to war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.