A Palestinian rights group has reported that more than half of the Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons at the end of last year were being held without charge or trial, marking the highest proportion on record since monitoring began in 2008. The findings come amid mounting concerns over alleged abuses in Israeli detention facilities.

Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) stated on Wednesday that 51% of 351 detained Palestinian children were in "administrative detention" as of December 31, 2025. These figures cover prisons under the Israel Prison Service (IPS) administration but exclude children held in military detention and interrogation centers, for which no data is available. DCIP cited firsthand testimonies from previously detained children describing systematic torture and dehumanizing conditions.

Administrative detention is a longstanding policy that allows Israel to hold Palestinians without charge or trial for renewable six-month periods. According to the Palestinian prisoner advocacy group Addameer, over a third of the 9,500 Palestinians detained by Israel as of March were under administrative detention. This practice violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Israel has ratified.

The DCIP statement follows multiple reports by human rights groups detailing allegations of abuses in Israeli prisons, including torture and sexual violence. In August 2024, the Israeli rights organization B’Tselem described the Israeli prison system as a "network of torture camps," accusing authorities of a systemic policy focused on the continual abuse of Palestinian prisoners.

Palestinian children have consistently reported appalling conditions in Israeli detention, from beatings and denial of medical care to the use of solitary confinement. The surge in arrests and detention has occurred against the backdrop of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which began in October 2023, affecting Palestinians across the occupied territories.

Source: www.aljazeera.com