Note: Where null values are present, we estimate and fill in missing data points on the chart, by identifying known values and calculating the gaps between them. In return, it ensures the chart remains easy to read and interpret, even when some data is missing. Where values have been interpolated they are designated with the color ●
In the context of the colonial Israeli prison system, the majority of child prisoners face detention, while others are subjected to administrative detention. Detention refers to the act of confinement or imprisonment within the Israeli military prison system. Administrative detention refers to a unique system in which Palestinian prisoners—children and adults—are held in the Israeli prison system without charge or trial. They are held in administrative detention through the use of secret evidence which is not disclosed to the detainee or their legal representative, and therefore have no means to challenge the process. Administrative detainees can be detained for periods up to six months at a time which can be reissued by military court judges. There is no limit to the number of times the orders for administrative detention can be renewed, meaning that child prisoners face indefinite imprisonment. In effect, they have no right to due process under this system, or any real agency to challenge the orders against them and a potentially indefinite detention.Young Prisoners are children under the age of 15 in the Israeli prison system.
| Category | Current Amount | All Time Highest | Historical Average | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Prisoners | 0 | 116 | 35.39 | |
| Administrative Detainees | 85 | 85 | 7.10 | |
| Detention | 242 | 444 | 230.15 | |
| Girls | 0 | 15 | 2.49 | |
Israel is the only country in the world that automatically and systematically subjects children to prosecution in military courts—let alone prosecution within the military courts of a foreign occupier. The conviction rate within this system is nearly 100%.
Israel's methods of taking hostage and imprisoning Palestinian children under a military detention system are rooted in colonial practices, building on British Mandate laws that were designed to control and subjugate the Indigenous population. Since its violent establishment, Israel has maintained two overt separate legal systems in the occupied West Bank and Gaza; Israeli settlers are governed by civilian law, while Palestinians, including children, are subjected to military law. This dual system is a critical element of the colonial state, which prosecutes between 500 and 700 Palestinian children per year in military courts that deny them fundamental rights, making it the only country in the world to use such courts against children systematically. According to international norms, children are defined as those under the age of 18 years old.
This colonial legal framework, inherited from British colonial rule, continues to suppress resistance and maintain control over colonized people. Israel's adaptation of these laws extends this legacy of colonial repression. Since 2000, approximately 13,000 Palestinian children have been detained, interrogated, prosecuted, and imprisoned under this system. The process of detention is marked by widespread ill-treatment, including physical violence, threats, sexual abuse, and torture, often without access to legal counsel.
Israel's carceral system functions similarly to other colonial and racialized systems of incarceration, where the detention of Palestinian children not only serves to exert control but also monetizes their imprisonment. It forces Palestinians to pay hefty fines and exploits them financially through the prison commerce system. The process also perpetuates racist and colonial tropes about Palestinians, portraying them as inherently violent and in need of containment. This narrative justifies the ongoing military occupation, the theft of Palestinian land and resources, and the subjugation of the indigenous population, all while Israel profits from the imprisonment and exploitation of Palestinian children.
Between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2022, the Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) collected affidavits from 766 child detainees. The data reveals that 3 out of 4 Palestinian children detained by Israeli forces experienced physical violence, 59% were arrested at night, 86% were not informed of the reason for their arrest, and 97% had their hands bound during arrest. Additionally, 89% were blindfolded, 75% were subjected to physical violence, and 58% faced verbal abuse, humiliation, or intimidation. Many children were subjected to inhumane treatment, including being transferred on the floor of military vehicles, strip-searched (80%), denied adequate food and water (42%), or denied access to a toilet (31%). Crucially, 97% were interrogated without a family member present, and 55% were coerced into signing documents in Hebrew, a language most do not understand. Furthermore, 25% of these children were subjected to stress positions, and 23% were held in solitary confinement for extended periods for interrogation purposes. These practices exemplify the systematic abuse that serves to reinforce Israel's colonial control over the Palestinian population.
