5,934 Children Detained by Israel since 2010
The Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Committee Studies and Documentation Unit documented in a report that Israel has detained a total of 5,934 children over the past five years.
The committee said 2000 to 2010, Israel detained an average of 700 Palestinian children per year, but given the recent detention spike, the annual average has jumped to 1,200.
The unit documented that Israel detained a total of 2,179 children in 2015, accounting 36.7% of the total number of children detained over the last five years up from 21.3% in 2014.
It added that the total number of children detained by Israel in 2013 accounted for 15.7% of the total number of children detained over the last five years up from 14.8% in 2012 and 11.5% in 2011.
The committee explained that the above-listed percentages demonstrate that the number of children detained has been steadily increasing over the past five years.
The unit noted that the total number of children detained in 2015 increased by 72.1% and by over 134% from the number of children detained in 2014 and 2013 respectively.
It also noted that the total number of detainees in 2015 increased by 147.3% and 221.9% in comparison to the total number of children detained in 2012 and 2011 respectively.
The unit concluded that Israel’s detention of Palestinian children in Jerusalem has been steadily increasing over the last five years and has reached a peak of 1,500 in last October.
Commenting on the data, head of the committee Issa Qaraqe' said that 2015 was a year of intimidation and brutal torture of Palestinian children and that Israel tortured and mistreated one hundred percent of children in Jerusalem.
He added that Israel has enacted a law concerning detaining and beating Palestinian children not because of security reasons, but to destroy their future and dreams.
