Detention figures
End of December 2023:

Security Prisoners

Adults: 8,171
Children: 137
Total: 8,308

Percentage held in Israel:

Adults: 74%
Children: 49%

Administrative Detention

Adults: 3,239
Children: 49
Total: 3,288

 
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Newsletter - September 2020

Detention figures – According to the Israeli Prison Service (IPS), as of 31 August 2020 there were 4,207 Palestinians (West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza) held as “security prisoners” in detention facilities including 153 children (12-17 years). In the case of children there was a 1% decrease in the number compared with the previous month and an annual decrease of 15% compared with 2019. Two children are currently held in administrative detention. According to the IPS, 73% of child detainees were forcibly transferred and/or unlawfully detained in Israel in August in violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. More statistics 

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Detention figures continue to fall – At the end of August, the monthly average number of children in military detention was 169. This represents a 15% decline compared to 2019 and a 55% decline compared to 2016. The fluctuation in detention figures generally reflects current tensions and can change rapidly, as observed in 2016 when rates increased by 73%. There are currently no boys under the age of 14 in IPS detention and no girls have been detained in IPS facilities since December 2018. However, 2020 has seen a 23% increase in children forcibly transferred and/or unlawfully detained inside Israel in violation of Geneva IV. Detention figures 

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Evidence update: hand-ties – In 2010, lawyers for the State informed the Supreme Court that new regulations relating to the use of hand ties had been introduced preventing pain and injury. However, evidence collected by MCW indicates the use of hand restraints, predominantly plastic ties, is as prevalent today as ever and the 2010 regulations continue to be ignored. So far in 2020, 95% of children detained report being hand tied and in 90% of these cases the standard operating procedures for their use were ignored. In 40% of cases single plastic hand ties were used and in 45% of cases the child remained restrained during interrogation. Read more

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A child’s testimony – On 20 August 2020, a 15-year-old minor from Doha was arrested by Israeli soldiers at 3:30 a.m. He reports being informed of his right to silence and consulting with a lawyer prior to interrogation but was told that he would receive a longer sentence if he remained silent. “At around 3:30 a.m. I was woken up by torch light shining in my face. I opened my eyes and saw about 10 Israeli soldiers in my bedroom. The commander asked me for my name then told me to get up and put some clothes on because I was to be arrested. He did not give a reason for the arrest and did not give my parents any documents.” Read more

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A soldier’s video testimony: “Keeping things interesting” – In this video a former Israeli soldier provides a testimony to Breaking the Silence describing how a commander came up with all sorts of games to play to “enliven the atmosphere” at the checkpoint. “Most of the time in Ramallah I served at the Hizme checkpoint at the entrance to Israel. The people who go through that checkpoint are Jews living in the Binyamin area … and go through the fast lane. The Palestinians have to go through the slow lane because their paperwork has to be scrutinized to verify that they really are residents of East Jerusalem and they are allowed to enter.” Watch video

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805 Testimonies                                       MCW Annual Report (2020)                                    Videos