Israel Sentences Palestinian Child to 18 Years in Prison
Occupied Jerusalem (Quds News Network)- Israeli occupation authorities have sentenced a Palestinian child to 18 years in prison and imposed a financial fine, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.
On Sunday, the Jerusalem District Court sentenced 15-year-old Mohammad Basel Al-Zalabani to 18 years in prison, along with a fine of 300,000 shekels ($83,333).
دير بالك على حالك، حمود…
بلا رحمة، أصدرت إسرائيل حكمًا جائرًا بحق الطفل محمد الزلباني (15 عامًا)، ليقضي 18 عامًا خلف قضبان الظلم.
وكأن القيد لا يكفي، سحبه السجّان الإسرائيلي على عجل، ليحرمه حتى من نظرة أخيرة إلى عائلته، من صوت يخفّف وحشة الإنعزال.
أي ظلم هذا الذي تضيق به… pic.twitter.com/9lou1fKwIg
— Tamer | تامر (@tamerqdh) February 17, 2025
On February 13, 2023, al-Zalabani was arrested by Israeli occupation forces from inside a bus at the Shuafat refugee camp checkpoint in occupied Jerusalem. He was allegedly charged with causing the death of an Israeli soldier, who was accidentally shot by another soldier. The soldier had fired at al-Zalabani, who was allegedly attempting a stabbing operation. However, the bullet struck the soldier instead, killing him.
During Sunday’s court session, the brother of the soldier verbally attacked al-Zalabani’s family, including his mother and uncle, using insults and offensive language, Wadi Hilweh Information Center reported. Additionally, al-Zalabani’s father was prevented from entering the courtroom.
Al-Zalabani was brought to court in prison clothes, handcuffed, and surrounded by police and court guards while wearing oversized flip-flops in the cold. His mother was not permitted to see or embrace him.
During his arrest, al-Zalabani endured harsh and difficult interrogations, spending several days at the Israeli Maskobeh detention center. After charges were filed, he was transferred to a juvenile detention centre within the occupied Palestinian territories due to his young age, where he remained for the past period.
Two weeks ago, al-Zalabani was moved to the Damon prison after turning 15.
He was also subjected to beatings and assaults during court sessions, with intelligence officers escorting him from the detention center. After his family objected, staff from the institution began accompanying him to court.
On November 8, 2023, Israeli forces demolished the home of al-Zalabani’s family in Shuafat as a punitive measure. Over the past two years, his father and brother have been arrested, and the family has been repeatedly summoned.
“Israel’s punitive demolitions are a form of unlawful collective punishment, which constitute a war crime and a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention,” Khulood Badawi, Amnesty International’s regional campaigner on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said following Israel’s demolition of al-Zalabani’s family home.
The Israeli ruling to demolish the house of al-Zalabani’s family, Badawi said, “shows how Israel’s brazen contempt for international law runs through every institution. It is also a reminder of the Supreme Court’s role in enforcing apartheid against Palestinians.”
Despite his young age, al-Zalabani now faces nearly two decades behind bars under Israel’s military judicial system, which has long been criticized for its harsh treatment of Palestinian minors and Palestinians in general.
At least 1,115 children out of a total of 14,500 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli occupation prisons.
