Injustice: Palestinian children’s experience of the Israeli military detention system

No child should ever come in contact with a military court, or any court that lacks comprehensive fair trial rights and basic safeguards. Yet hundreds of Palestinian children are held under Israeli military custody each year with profound consequences. Their main alleged crime is stone throwing, which can carry a 20-year sentence. According to international law, the detention of children should only be used as a measure of last resort, and then ensuring that children’s rights are safeguarded from the moment of contact with the system.

Save the Children has worked with partners to conduct updated research on the impact of Israeli detention on Palestinian children. This report shares the experiences and voices of children who were aged between 12-17 years old when they were detained and who were all arrested or detained within the past three years; 71% were released from detention in the past year. 97% of the children consulted were boys, reflecting the trend for far more boys to be detained than girls.