Detention figures – According to data issued quarterly by the Israel Prison Service (IPS), as of 31 December 2023, there were 8,308 Palestinians (West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza) held as “security prisoners” in detention facilities including 137 children (12-17 years) (134 boys/3 girls). In the case of children there was an 11% increase in the number compared with the previous month and an annual increase of 15% compared with 2022. Forty-nine children were held in administrative detention without charge or trial - 1,178% above the 16-year average. According to the IPS, 49% of child detainees and 74% of adult detainees were unlawfully transferred from the occupied West Bank to prisons in Israel in December in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. More statistics          

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Detention update - In late January, the IPS released detention data for the final quarter of 2023. The data indicates a 72% increase in the number of Palestinian detainees held since September and a spike in the number of adults and children held without charge or trial in administrative detention. The number of children released from prison in November as part of an exchange deal with Hamas have now been replenished with a fresh supply. Reports from inside the prisons disclose harsh conditions and violence, including: children being punched and beaten with batons; children attacked with dogs and denied medical attention; no family visits or phone calls; limited access to lawyers; no education; insufficient quantity and quality of food; no access to radio or television; removal of heaters and glass window panes (during winter); limited access to showers (cold); and overcrowding, with some children sleeping on floors. Read more

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Day 3,244 - On 16 March 2015, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, now led by Karim Khan KC, received information released by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) confirming the transfer of Palestinian child detainees from the occupied West Bank to prison facilities in Israel in violation of article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The policy of transferring Palestinian children commenced in 1967 and has affected up to 32,000 children to date. All of these children report some form of torture and/or ill treatment either before, during and/or after their transfer. While it took Mr. Khan's office just 364 days to investigate and obtain arrest warrants for Russians accused of transferring Ukrainian children, no discernable action has been taken by Mr. Khan's office in relation to the transfer of Palestinian children - 3,244 days after receipt of uncontested evidence. This delay erodes confidence in the Court and the "rules based order". Read more

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A child's testimony - On *** 2023, the home of a 16-year-old minor from the occupied West Bank was raided by Israeli soldiers at 1:00 a.m. Not finding the minor home, the soldiers took his father as hostage and made death threats to family members. After surrendering, the minor was unlawfully transferred to Petha Tikva interrogation centre inside Israel where he was held for 45 days in solitary confinement while under interrogation. After 7 October 2023, the minor reports a deterioration in prison conditions in Megiddo prison, in Israel, including: violence by prison guards; attacks by service dogs and denial of medical treatment; no family visits or phone calls; and insufficient food. Before release he reports being threatened by an intelligence officer with "erasure from the face of the earth". Read more

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