Kidnapping

Kidnapping Children

Testimonies received by Euro-Med reveal that the Israeli army regularly detains and transfers Palestinian children without disclosing their whereabouts.

Rushdi al Zhaza, who was detained along with his family, was released without being disclosed of the whereabouts of his wife or children.

According to witnesses, Israeli soldiers were seen stopping a 12-year-old girl with blonde hair. After the girl’s parents attempt to intervene, the soldiers then informed them that she would be taken away under the suspicion of being an Israeli detainee, even though she was speaking Arabic and with her parents.

After the death of officer Harel Itach, a friend of his disclosed that he had kidnapped a Palestinian infant from Gaza after killing her family, and that the girl’s whereabouts remain unknown. (𓃠)

A UN report released on 19 February 2024 states: "We are particularly distressed by reports that Palestinian women and girls in detention have also been subjected to multiple forms of sexual assault, such as being stripped naked and searched by male Israeli army officers. At least two female Palestinian detainees were reportedly raped while others were reportedly threatened with rape and sexual violence."

They also noted that photos of female detainees in degrading circumstances were also reportedly taken by the Israeli army and uploaded online.

“On at least one occasion, Palestinian women detained in Gaza were allegedly kept in a cage in the rain and cold, without food.” (𓃠)

Annual rate of incarcerated children - Israel prosecutes between 500 and 700 Palestinian children in military courts each year. (𓃠)

Number of women and children not charged - 300 Palestinian women and children identified for potential release by Israel, nearly 80 percent are not even formally charged.

DCIP testimonies - Between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2022, DCIP collected sworn affidavits from 766 child detainees detained by Israeli forces from the occupied West Bank and prosecuted in Israeli military courts describing their arrest, interrogation, and detention experiences. 59% were arrested at night; 86% were not informed of the reason for their arrest; 97% had their hands bound; 89% were blindfolded; 75% were subjected to physical violence; 58% were subjected to verbal abuse, humiliation, or intimidation during or after their arrest; 54% were transferred from the place of their arrest on the floor of a military vehicle; 80% were strip searched; 42% were denied adequate food and water; 31% were denied access to a toilet; 66% were not properly informed of their rights; 97% were interrogated without a family member present; 55% were shown or made to sign a paper in Hebrew, a language most Palestinian children do not understand; 36% were threatened or coerced; 25% were subjected to stress positions; 23% were detained in solitary confinement for interrogation purposes for a period of two or more days;

Under military regulations in force in the OPT, a child over the age of 16 is considered an adult, contrary to the defined age of a child as under 18 in the Convention of the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a signatory. In practice, Palestinian children may be charged and sentenced in military courts beginning at the age of 12. Between the ages of 12-14, children can be sentenced for offences for a period of up to six months – meaning that a child accused of throwing a stone can be sent to prison for six months; After the age of 14, Palestinian children are tried as adults, in violation of international law; There are no juvenile courts and children are often held and serve their sentences in cells with criminal prisoners and are often not separated from adults, also in violation of international law. (𓃠)

Save the Children stats - Save the Children statistics reveal that 86 percent experienced beatings, 70 percent faced threats of harm, 60 percent endured solitary confinement, and an equal percentage suffered physical assaults with sticks or guns. Shockingly, 69 percent reported being strip-searched during interrogation, with some disclosing incidents of sexual violence. Children were denied adequate food or healthcare, 70 percent said they suffered from hunger and 68 percent said they didn’t receive any healthcare. (𓃠)

Israel prosecutes children - Israel has the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world that automatically and systematically prosecutes children in military courts that lack fundamental fair trial rights and protections. Israel prosecutes between 500 and 700 Palestinian children in military courts each year.

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Sexual violence against children - Some children have reported violence of a sexual nature, and some are transferred to court or between detention centres in small cages, the London-based child rights organisation said.