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Mail & Guardian
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Stolen childhoods: Israel's war on Palestinian children
Israeli air strikes shatter Gaza. Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images Ramallah, Occupied West Bank: More than 350 Palestinian children have been imprisoned by Israeli forces in military camps and central prisons across the country, according to recent reports by human rights groups. Of those detained, more than 100 are being held without charge or trial under Israel's controversial and unlawful military court system. Palestinian child detainees face a grim reality behind bars. Like thousands of other political prisoners, they endure systemic abuse, including starvation; physical and psychological torture; denial of medical care and inhumane treatment. On 22 March 2025, the death of Walid Ahmad, a young detainee from Ramallah, marked the first known child martyr since the start of the genocide that began in October 2023. Since then, mass arrests have intensified throughout the occupied territories, targeting civilians of all ages. Children have not been spared. In occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank alone, more than 1 200 child arrest cases have been documented. The situation in Gaza remains opaque, because Israeli authorities have blocked lawyers and human rights organisations from access to data regarding arrests and detentions. Israel's military court system permits the use of administrative detention against children — a practice where detainees are held without charge, often based on undisclosed evidence. Lawyers and even the children themselves are denied access to these 'secret files', undermining the most basic principles of justice. Since the escalation of violence in October 2023, the number of children held under administrative detention has reached an unprecedented level, with reports indicating that 3 498 Palestinian children are detained under this system. In addition to imprisonment, Palestinian children are subjected to military trials that lack due process and transparency. Legal experts and human rights advocates describe these proceedings as 'charade trials' that serve only to legitimise the occupation's continued violation of children's rights. Even more concerning is the imposition of house arrest, particularly in occupied Jerusalem, where children are cut off from education, social contact and essential support networks. These actions are in direct violation of several international laws and conventions: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Israel has ratified, prohibits arbitrary detention and requires that detention of children be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time (Article 37). The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits the transfer of protected persons from occupied territories and outlines protections for civilians, including children, during military occupation. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees the right to a fair trial and protection from arbitrary arrest or detention (Articles 9 and 14). The Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment prohibits torture and mistreatment under any circumstances. By continuing to detain children without charge, deny them fair trial guarantees and subject them to inhumane treatment, Israeli authorities are committing serious breaches of international law. These practices amount to grave violations of human rights and constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. It is evident tht Israel has not only stolen the childhoods of Palestinian children — it is systematically trying to erase their future. Behind bars, these children are denied the chance to dream, to learn, to grow. Instead, they are subjected to trauma, isolation and violence — not because of what they have done, but because of who they are. Children are the seeds of tomorrow, but under occupation, they are treated as threats to be crushed. Through mass incarceration, psychological torment and physical abuse, Israel is waging war on a generation, attempting to break their bodies and spirits before they ever have the chance to blossom. This is not collateral damage. It is deliberate. It is a calculated strategy to strip Palestinians of their next generation of leaders, thinkers and dreamers — to suffocate resistance by extinguishing hope at its root. If the world continues to look away, it becomes complicit in a system that dehumanises children and buries their futures behind prison walls. Justice demands not silence, but urgent action. Sõzarn Barday is an attorney based in South Africa and has a particular interest in human rights in the Middle East.
The Independent
06-04-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Palestinian teen ‘likely died from starvation in Israeli prison'
17-year-old Palestinian, Walid Ahmad, likely died from starvation in an Israeli prison, according to a medical report by an Israeli doctor who observed the autopsy. Ahmad, held for six months without charge, showed signs of extreme malnutrition, colitis, and scabies. He had reportedly complained of inadequate food since December. Palestinian officials say Ahmad collapsed and died in Megiddo Prison after striking his head, while Israeli authorities are investigating. Human rights groups cite widespread abuse and neglect in Israeli prisons, particularly after the 2023 Gaza war.
Washington Post
06-04-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Palestinian teenager who died in Israeli prison showed signs of starvation, medical report says
TEL AVIV — Starvation was likely the leading cause of death for a Palestinian teenager who died in an Israeli prison , according to an Israeli doctor who observed the autopsy. Seventeen-year-old Walid Ahmad, who had been held for six months without being charged, suffered from extreme malnutrition, and also showed signs of inflammation of the colon and scabies, said a report written by Dr. Daniel Solomon, who watched the autopsy, conducted by Israeli experts, at the request of the boy's family.
CBC
01-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Palestinian from West Bank first detainee under 18 to die in Israeli prison: officials
A teenager from the West Bank who was held in an Israeli prison for six months without being charged died after collapsing in unclear circumstances, becoming the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention, officials said. Walid Ahmad, 17, was a healthy high schooler before his arrest in September for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, his family said. Rights groups have documented widespread abuse in Israeli detention facilities holding thousands of Palestinians who were rounded up after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Prison authorities deny any systematic abuse and say they investigate accusations of wrongdoing by prison staff. But the Israeli ministry overseeing prisons acknowledges conditions inside detention facilities have been reduced to the minimum level allowed under Israeli law. Israel's prison service did not respond to questions about the cause of death. It said only that a 17-year-old from the West Bank had died in Megiddo Prison, a facility that's previously been accused of abusing Palestinian inmates, "with his medical condition being kept confidential." It said it investigates all deaths in detention. Khalid Ahmad, Walid's father, said his son was a lively teen who enjoyed playing soccer before he was taken from his home in the occupied West Bank during a predawn arrest raid. Six months later, after several brief court appearances, during which no trial date was set, Walid collapsed on March 23 in a prison yard and struck his head, dying soon after, Palestinians officials said, citing eyewitness accounts from other prisoners. The family believes Walid contracted amoebic dysentery from the poor conditions in the prison, an infection that causes diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness — and can be fatal if left untreated. The Western-backed Palestinian Authority says Walid is the first Palestinian under 18 to die in Israeli detention — and the 63rd Palestinian from the West Bank or Gaza since the start of the war. Palestinian prisoner rights groups say that is about one-fifth of the roughly 300 Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The Palestinian Authority says Israel is holding the bodies of 72 Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli jails, including 61 who died since the beginning of the war. Conditions in Israeli prisons have worsened since the start of the war, former detainees told The Associated Press. They described beatings, severe overcrowding, insufficient medical care, scabies outbreaks and poor sanitary conditions. Israel's National Security Ministry, which oversees the prison service and is run by ultra-nationalist cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has boasted of reducing the conditions of Palestinian detainees "to the minimum required by law." It says the policy is aimed at deterring attacks. 'Don't worry about me,' father remembers him saying Israel has rounded up thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, saying it suspects them of militancy. Many have been held for months without charge or trial in what is known as administrative detention, which Israel justifies as a necessary security measure. Others are arrested on suspicion of aggression toward soldiers but have their trials continuously delayed, as the military and Israel's security services gather evidence. Walid sat through at least four court appearances over video conference, his father said. Each session lasted about three minutes, and another hearing was scheduled for April 21, Walid's father said. WATCH | Doctor who spent 6 months in Israeli prisons released without charge: Gaza doctor released after being detained in Israeli custody for more than six months 6 months ago Duration 1:33 Dr. Khaled Al Serr was released by Israeli forces on Sept. 29 after spending more than six months in Israeli prisons. The 32-year-old surgeon, who works at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in Gaza, said he was interrogated, humiliated and beaten only to be suddenly released last week without any charges. In a February session, four months after Walid was detained, his father noticed his son appeared to be in poor health. "His body was weakened due to malnutrition in the prisons in general," Ahmad said. He said Walid told him he had gotten scabies — a contagious skin rash caused by mites that causes intense itching — but had been cured. "Don't worry about me," his father remembers him saying. Four days after Khalid Ahmad visited his son's friend, a former soccer teammate who had been held with Walid in the same prison, the family received the news of Walid's death. "We felt the same way as all the parents of the prisoners and all the families and mothers of the prisoners," said Khalid Ahmad. "We can only say, 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to him we shall return.'" 'Harshest prison for minors' Walid's lawyer, Firas al-Jabrini, said Israeli authorities denied his requests to visit his client in prison. But he says three prisoners held alongside Walid told him he was suffering from dysentery, saying it was widespread among young Palestinians held at the facility. He said they suspected the disease was spreading because of dirty water, as well as cheese and yogurt that prison guards brought in the morning and that sat out all day while detainees were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Megiddo, in northern Israel, "is the harshest prison for minors," al-Jabrini said. He said he was told that rooms designed for six prisoners often held 16, with some sleeping on the floor. Many complained of scabies and eczema. Thaer Shriteh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority's detainee commission, said Walid collapsed and hit his head on a metal rod, losing consciousness. "The prison administration did not respond to the prisoners' requests for urgent care to save his life," he said, citing witnesses who spoke to the commission. The lawyer and the Palestinian official both said an autopsy is needed to determine the cause of death. Israel has agreed to perform one but a date has not been set.
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-04-2025
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
A 17-Year-Old from the West Bank Becomes the First Palestinian Teenager to Die in an Israeli Prison
A 17-year-old from the West Bank who was held in an Israeli prison for six months without being charged died after collapsing in unclear circumstances, becoming the first Palestinian teen to die in Israeli detention, officials said. Walid Ahmad was a healthy high schooler before his arrest in September for allegedly throwing stones at soldiers, his family said. Rights groups have documented widespread abuse in Israeli detention facilities holding thousands of Palestinians who were rounded up after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. Prison authorities deny any systematic abuse and say they investigate accusations of wrongdoing by prison staff. But the Israeli ministry overseeing prisons acknowledges conditions inside detention facilities have been reduced to the minimum level allowed under Israeli law. Israel's prison service did not respond to questions about the cause of death. It said only that a 17-year-old from the West Bank had died in Megiddo Prison, a facility that has previously been accused of abusing Palestinian inmates, 'with his medical condition being kept confidential.' It said it investigates all deaths in detention. Khalid Ahmad, Walid's father, said his son was a lively teen who enjoyed playing soccer before he was taken from his home in the occupied West Bank during a pre-dawn arrest raid. Six months later, after several brief court appearances during which no trial date was set, Walid collapsed on March 23 in a prison yard and struck his head, dying soon after, Palestinians officials said, citing eyewitness accounts from other prisoners. The family believes Walid contracted amoebic dysentery from the poor conditions in the prison, an infection that causes diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness — and can be fatal if left untreated. Walid is the 63rd Palestinian prisoner from the West Bank or Gaza to die in Israeli custody since the start of the war, according to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank. Palestinian prisoner rights groups say that is about one-fifth of the roughly 300 Palestinians who have died in Israeli custody since the 1967 Mideast war, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three territories for their future state. The Palestinian Authority says Israel is holding the bodies of 72 Palestinian prisoners who died in Israeli jails, including 61 who died since the beginning of the war. Conditions in Israeli prisons have worsened since the start of the war, former detainees told The Associated Press. They described beatings, severe overcrowding, insufficient medical care, scabies outbreaks and poor sanitary conditions. Israel's National Security Ministry, which oversees the prison service and is run by ultranationalist Cabinet Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has boasted of reducing the conditions of Palestinian detainees 'to the minimum required by law.' It says the policy is aimed at deterring attacks. 'Don't worry about me' Israel has rounded up thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, saying it suspects them of militancy. Many have been held for months without charge or trial in what is known as administrative detention, which Israel justifies as a necessary security measure. Others are arrested on suspicion of aggression toward soldiers but have their trials continuously delayed, as the military and Israel's security services gather evidence. Walid sat through at least four court appearances over videoconference, his father said, but each time the judge delayed, eventually setting an April 21 trial date. Each session was about three minutes, Walid's father said. In a February session, four months after Walid was detained, his father noticed that his son appeared to be in poor health. 'His body was weakened due to malnutrition in the prisons in general,' the elder Ahmad said. He said Walid told him he had gotten scabies — a contagious skin rash caused by mites that causes intense itching— but had been cured. 'Don't worry about me,' his father remembers him saying. Khalid Ahmad later visited his son's friend, a former soccer teammate who had been held with Walid in the same prison. The friend told him Walid had lost weight but that he was OK. Four days later, the family heard that a 17-year-old had died in the prison. An hour and half later, they got the news that it was Walid. 'We felt the same way as all the parents of the prisoners and all the families and mothers of the prisoners,' said Khalid Ahmad. 'We can only say 'Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to him we shall return.'' Cause of death is unknown Walid's lawyer, Firas al-Jabrini, said Israeli authorities denied his requests to visit his client in prison. But he says three prisoners held alongside Walid told him that he was suffering from dysentery, saying it was widespread among young Palestinians held at the facility. They said Walid suffered from severe diarrhea, vomiting, headaches and dizziness, the lawyer said. He said they suspected the disease was spreading because of dirty water, as well as cheese and yogurt that prison guards brought in the morning and that sat out all day while detainees were fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Megiddo, in northern Israel, "is the harshest prison for minors,' al-Jabrini said. He said he was told that rooms designed for six prisoners often held 16, with some sleeping on the floor. Many complained of scabies and eczema. Thaer Shriteh, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority's detainee commission, said Walid collapsed and hit his head on a metal rod, losing consciousness. 'The prison administration did not respond to the prisoners' requests for urgent care to save his life,' he said, citing witnesses who spoke to the commission. The lawyer and the Palestinian official both said an autopsy is needed to determine the cause of death. Israel has agreed to perform one, but a date has not been set. 'The danger in this matter is that the Israeli occupation authorities have not yet taken any action to stop this (disease) and have not provided any treatment in general to save the prisoners in Megiddo prison,' Shriteh said.
