Detention figures – According to data issued quarterly by the Israel Prison Service (IPS), as of 30 September 2023, there were 5,105 Palestinians (West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza) held as “security prisoners” in detention facilities including 156 children (12-17 years) (154 boys/2 girls). In the case of children there was a 5% decrease in the number compared with the previous month and an annual increase of 15% compared with 2022. Twenty-three children were held in administrative detention without charge or trial - the highest number since January 2008. According to the IPS, 68% of child detainees and 75% of adult detainees were unlawfully transferred from the occupied West Bank to prisons in Israel in September in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute. More statistics
__________________________________________________________________________________
Day 3,222 - On 16 March 2015, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, now led by Karim Khan KC, received publicly available information released by the Israel Prison Service (IPS) confirming the transfer of Palestinian child detainees from the occupied West Bank to prison facilities inside 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. 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 - 3,222 days after receipt of this evidence. Read more__________________________________________________________________________________
Annual Report (2022) - This report considers developments relating to the arrest and detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli military in the occupied West Bank. Based on, inter alia, 100 testimonies the report includes information on: night arrests and summonses; physical violence and solitary confinement in breach of the UN Convention Against Torture; systematic denial of legal rights; and the transfer of children from the occupied West Bank in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention and Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court - a fact confirmed by, inter alia, the UN Secretary General, UNICEF and the US State Department. As in previous years the report also notes a direct geographical link between illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the detention of Palestinian children. Report__________________________________________________________________________________
A child's testimony - On **** 2023, a 16-year-old boy from **** was arrested by Israeli soldiers at 2:30 a.m. from home. The soldiers gave no reasons for the arrest. After being zip tied and blindfolded the boy was physically assaulted. The boy was then unlawfully transferred from the occupied West Bank to Petah Tikva interrogation centre in Israel where he was held in solitary confinement for 30 days in violation of the UN Convention Against Torture. Following 7 October, the boy describes a dramatic deterioration in prison conditions in Megiddo prison, in Israel, including: overcrowding, violence, limited food, no family contact, no education, no hot water and no access to radio or television. On 24 November 2023, the boy was released as part of a prisoner/hostage swap deal with Hamas - one month before the end of his sentence. Read more__________________________________________________________________________________
