DaysofPal- The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Prisoners Affairs has revealed severe conditions endured by Palestinian child prisoners in the Israeli Megiddo Prison.
According to the commission, the Israeli prison services continue to enforce punitive measures against these children, mirroring the harsh treatments imposed on adult prisoners since October 7.
Child prisoners are reportedly held in bare cells, doubly isolated, and denied family visits, as thousands of other prisoners remain barred from seeing their families.
During visits, children are brought with their hands and feet shackled, eyes blindfolded, and heads covered with black bags.
Once inside the visitation room, the blindfolds are removed, but the restraints on their hands remain, making it difficult to hold items, while shackles remain on their feet.
Moreover, legal teams’ requests to remove these restraints during visits have reportedly been ignored.
The commission’s lawyer reported that prison cells fail to meet international standards for children’s and prisoners’ rights, whereas conditions are unhygienic, infested with insects, and lack proper lighting and ventilation.
Children are subjected daily to verbal abuse, physical assault, solitary confinement, sexual harassment, and collective punishments.
Statistics show that the number of female prisoners has reached 50, including two from Gaza, while the number of child prisoners exceeds 450, signaling a targeted violation of minors’ basic rights.
Regarding administrative detention, 3,629 prisoners are currently held without charge or trial, the highest number in any category.
Prisoners classified as “illegal combatants” number 2,454, the highest since the large-scale Israeli genocide on Gaza in October 2023.
This category includes Palestinians and Arabs from Lebanon and Syria, though Gaza detainees held in military camps are not included in these figures.
The Palestinian commission’s report highlights ongoing international concern over Israel’s treatment of child prisoners and calls for immediate attention to their rights and welfare.
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