Families raise concerns over Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons
Families and rights advocates allege beatings, poor hygiene, inadequate food and medical neglect. The figures cited in an Al Jazeera report come from advocacy groups and are not independently verified in the material provided.
Families of Palestinian children held in Israeli prisons have described alleged mistreatment, poor sanitation and limited access to food and medical care in a report published by Al Jazeera on 23 September. Rights advocates cited in the report say hundreds of children remain detained.
Fidaa Zalabani said her son Mohammed, now 17, was arrested in February 2023 when he was 13. He was accused of stabbing a soldier and later sentenced to 18 years over the soldier’s death. Zalabani said she has not been allowed to visit him for about two years and fears for his health. She relayed her lawyer’s account that children at Megiddo Prison often went to sleep hungry.
The report also describes the case of 16-year-old Ola Qatishat, arrested at home in May and accused of incitement against Israel. Her family said they had little information about the charges and that she was awaiting a court hearing in October. Ola’s sister, citing a lawyer’s visit, said Ola had developed scabies amid limited bathing and poor hygiene.
A lawyer from the Adalah Legal Center said children were isolated from the outside world and brought to meet lawyers blindfolded. Palestinian prisoner organisations cited by Al Jazeera estimate about 1,900 arrests of children from the occupied West Bank since October 2023 and say 360 remain detained. The report says the number and status of children detained from Gaza are unclear.
In an October 2025 submission to the UN Committee Against Torture, Defense for Children International–Palestine reported that 74 per cent of 325 children whose testimonies it collected said they had experienced violence. Al Jazeera also noted that Israel’s Supreme Court found in September 2025 that the prison service had failed to provide Palestinian prisoners with adequate food; the service rejected allegations of starvation.
A former detainee’s father described ongoing skin problems and distress after his son’s release. Rights advocates say the effects of detention can persist, while the accounts and figures in the report remain attributed to families and organisations cited by Al Jazeera.
