Israel detained at least 6,000 Palestinian children since 2015, says prisoners association

Ramallah (QNN) – Israeli occupation forces detained at least than 6,000 Palestinian children since 2015, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Association.

PPA said in a statement on Friday marking the Palestinian Children’s Day that 98 percent of the children detained by Israeli forces had been subjected to psychological or physical abuse while in custody.

It said dozens of minors were detained by Israeli troops after being shot and wounded.

Children living in occupied East Jerusalem were the most targeted, with dozens facing arrests more than one time a month, particularly during periods of heightened tensions such as the Bab al-Rahma protests in March, PPA added.

Minors arrested during night raids are transferred to interrogation and detention centers, where they suffer abuses, including being deprived of food or water for hours.

The children’s right to have one parent or guardian present during their interrogation is often neglected, the NGO said. Children are often forced to sign statements written in Hebrew – a language they cannot read.

“The conditions have left released children suffering from nightmares, insomnia, decline in school achievement and reacting aggressively with their environment and society,” PPA continued.

PPA urged international human rights organizations, including the UNICEF, to take “effective action against the violations committed against children who are detained by Israeli forces”.

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