Record number of Palestinian children in prison without charge

A record number of Palestinian children are being held in administrative detention without charge or trial.

360 Palestinian children are detained in Israeli prisons as of June 30, the latest data available from the Israel Prison Service (IPS), which is the highest number since early 2016. 147 children, or 41 percent of the total, are held in administrative detention without charge or trial, which is both the highest number and the highest proportion on record since Defense for Children International - Palestine began monitoring these numbers in 2008. The IPS, which typically releases detainee data on a quarterly basis, was more than two months late in releasing the data from the second quarter of 2025.

"Every month since October 2023, Israeli forces have rapidly expanded their use of administrative detention to target Palestinian children," said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. "These children are languishing in overcrowded Israeli prisons, fed rotten food, and beaten on a daily basis by Israeli guards, all while they are completely isolated from the outside world, including from their families and lawyers. They must all be released immediately."

The delay in releasing the second quarter data is one more effort on the part of Israeli authorities to obscure and restrict information about Palestinian detainees, including children. Since October 2023, Israeli authorities have severely restricted lawyer visits to the prisons, and family visits were suspended entirely. DCIP has faced immense challenges in documenting rights violations, torture, and ill-treatment endured by Palestinian child detainees since October 2023.

The data released by the IPS accounts for prisons under its administration, including Megiddo and Ofer, where children are detained and imprisoned. This data does not include children who are detained at Israeli military detention and interrogation centers, such as Huwwara, or military bases like Sde Teiman. There is no available data for how many children or adults are detained at these sites, though DCIP has received testimony from previously detained children of torture and dehumanizing conditions being regularly implemented at these locations.

In September 2023, 15 percent of all Palestinian child detainees were held in administrative detention, according to IPS data monitored by DCIP.

Lawyers representing Palestinian detainees now face mounting barriers, including the cancellation of scheduled visits, severe limitations on visiting hours, prolonged delays extending for months, and bans on bringing in even basic case materials. Lawyers are also forbidden from passing on simple messages from families, and children who wish to pass along messages to their families through a lawyer have been beaten. Further, Israel has disallowed the International Committee of the Red Cross from visiting any Palestinian detainees held in Israeli places of detention since October 7, 2023.

Under international law, including Article 37(d) of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, every child has the right to prompt access to legal assistance and to challenge the legality of their detention before a court. Additionally, Israel's deliberate obstruction of this right, alongside its prolonged bans on family visits and refusal to allow elected representatives to oversee detention conditions, violates the most basic standards of international humanitarian and human rights law. It is clear that Israel has no intention of maintaining its detention system in accordance with international law. Instead, its treatment of Palestinian prisoners amounts to collective punishment, deliberately imposing degrading conditions, restricting access to food, medicine, and communication with the outside world.

LINK

Defense for Children International: www.dci-palestine.org/