Save the Children: Record numbers of Palestinian children detained & abused

[Wedonttalkaboutboris]

I came across this statement today from Save the Children and I think it deserves its own thread. The details are horrific and difficult to read, but important:

“The treatment of Palestinian child detainees was already dire. It’s now getting much worse.
Save the Children has been informed by lawyers, social workers, caregivers and formerly detained children that children are being raped, set upon by dogs and deprived of food and water.

PALESTINIAN CHILDREN ARE THE ONLY CHILDREN IN THE WORLD TO EXPERIENCE SYSTEMATIC PROSECUTION IN MILITARY COURTS.

These courts consistently fail to offer the right to a fair trial and do not meet juvenile justice standards. It’s an abusive, inhumane prosecution system, where children are being physically, emotionally and sexually abused, humiliated and starved.

Since October 2023, the number of children being detained has soared. Around 1,200 children were arrested in the West Bank in 2024 alone, compared to the pre-war average of 500 to 700 children detained each year. An unknown number of children from Gaza have also been detained.

The number of children held in administrative detention – where children have not been charged with any crime – is also at an all-time high.

In March this year, Israeli authorities reported the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian boy being held in custody, reportedly the first child to die inside an Israeli prison. An autopsy report released in the media showed that the child was suffering from ‘extreme, likely prolonged malnutrition.’

For years, we have been calling for an end to these outrageous violations of children’s rights. Instead, the Government of Israel is arbitrarily detaining and physically and mentally torturing, abusing and traumatising more Palestinian children than ever.”

Save the Children are not exactly a fringe organisation, and their reports have always been taken seriously on child protection globally.

I find this unbearable to read. These are children- some as young as 12 or 13- being subjected to things no child should experience.

What can be done to raise more awareness of this? Why is it not a headline issue here in the UK?

There is absolutely no justification for this. I feel so helpless

This. Nothing else to add.

Please can you share the link?

Im interested to understand when this statement was released and how much publicity it was given. Thanks

Save the children posted it on their social media on the 3rd of July (of this year). It’s pinned to the top of their instagram feed.

Not only this but per save the children, 43% of pregnant or breastfeeding women are malnourished.

it’s a genocide.

https://x.com/save_children/status/1953817007725461607?s=46

I didn’t know this- absolutely inhumane.

THIS, and everything else that the Israeli government are inflicting on the people of Palestine.

They had no say in being robbed of their land when Israel was founded and now they are being tortured and robbed of the little land that they were left with.

If you have any spare money, consider donating to Medical Aid for Palestinians:

https://www.map.org.uk/

The children being held/abused /raped/ starved are part of the whole picture of genocide. It’s horrific that in this day and age the world will tolerate this. And for years Israel have been getting away with their horrific treatment of Palestinian children, and when have you ever heard other Governments call them out for it? No it’s all fine because it’s Israel 😡

For anyone looking to support grassroots efforts helping babies in Gaza-
‘Gaza Little Lights’ is also a vital, verified grassroots charity getting direct aid to the most critically malnourished babies in Gaza- buying up what little remains of baby formula and distributing it directly to those in desperate need.

Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/gazalittlelights/

Donation link: https://chuffed.org/project/114252-financial-support-to-desperate-families-without-funds-or-gfm?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwMQXdJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpsQbQXifUKSwbj0ta4N3yrY29ch1rX387imstCP-1tpWaH_MP7UeYA_Feg_aem_qGtjL_xSEGiyJzxXBm26nQ

I agree that there is no justification for detaining and abusing dc.

199 children died due to torture in Syria since 2011 whilst 5,263 are still under arrest or have disappeared. Syrian minors are detained in prisons until they're 18 when they can then be executed.

18.2 million people in Yemen need humanitarian assistance. Half of all under 5’s are malnourished.

My heart aches for all children caught up in conflict.

Absolutely, it’s heartbreaking to see children suffering in so many conflicts. My focus here is on Palestinian child detainees right now because the situation is escalating rapidly and very little international attention is on it. Every child caught up in conflict deserves protection and justice.

I found this link from 22 July 2025 - press release

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/news/media-centre/press-releases/2024/physical-abuse-infectious-disease-spreading-as-conditions-for-palestinian-children-in-israeli-military-detention-deteriorate

Im now going to research what media channels reported on it

Sorry i was wrong it was 2024.

On July 22, 2024, Save the Children released a press release titled "Physical abuse, infectious disease spreading as conditions for Palestinian children in Israeli military detention deteriorate." The press release highlighted the worsening conditions for Palestinian child detainees, citing testimonies from children who had been released from Israeli detention.
Key points from the Save the Children press release:

• Increased physical and emotional abuse: The report stated that since October 2023, there had been a noticeable increase in violence and abuse against children in detention.
• Lack of basic necessities: Children reported being denied adequate food, water, and healthcare.
• Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions: Testimonies described crowded cells with appalling and unsanitary conditions, leading to the spread of infectious diseases.
• Testimonies of abuse: The press release included harrowing details from children who had been released, including accounts of being beaten, strip-searched, and sexually assaulted. Some children reported being held in cages or small boxes during transfers.

News Stations and Media Outlets that reported on the press release: While there may not have been extensive, immediate coverage from major Western news broadcasters, the press release was picked up by several media outlets and human rights organizations. This is typical for such reports, as the topic is a long-standing human rights issue that often receives more detailed attention from specialized or regionally focused news sources.

• Al Jazeera: Al Jazeera has frequently reported on Save the Children's findings regarding the treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli detention. Their reporting often focuses on the human rights implications and the testimonies of the children themselves.
• Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP): As a partner and a key organization in this field, DCIP would have amplified the Save the Children report through their own channels and media releases. They regularly report on similar issues and provide in-depth analysis based on their own documentation.
• Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights (LPHR): LPHR, which has collaborated with Save the Children in the past, would have highlighted the findings of this report to support their legal and advocacy work

It's horrific. I think that the repercussions will be felt for generations.

Im horrified - put in a search engine the words Palestinian child detainees abuse and see how many news articles there are from western media.
Al Jazeera has covered it.

Nothing from Guardian, BBC, Sky News etc.

Imagine a world in which Israeli children were being held in Palestine and strip searched, beaten, sexually harassed. Held in cages or small boxes and zero media coverage of it.

This is proof to me of how Palestinians aren't even treated as human and how shit our media are.

Our media are complicit in a genocide.

https://www.dci-palestine.org/17_year_old_palestinian_child_prisoner_starved_to_death_by_israeli_prison_guards

Walid Khalid Abdullah Ahmad, 17, died while held in Israeli custody in Megiddo prison in northern Israel on the morning of March 22 after collapsing in the prison yard, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Post-mortem examination indicates Walid suffered from extreme body muscle and fat wasting, evidenced by a sunken abdomen, according to a doctor who attended the autopsy on behalf of Walid’s family. Walid also had scabies rashes on both legs and his groin, in addition to abrasions on his nose, chest, and right hip. The examination revealed that Walid had significant air collections in both his chest and abdominal cavities likely caused by blunt trauma, along with signs of inflammation likely caused by infection. There was also evidence of edema and congestion in his large intestine, consistent with traumatic injury—likely the result of beatings, which are frequently inflicted by Israeli prison guards on Palestinian child detainees.

Save the Children Quotes by former Palestinian child detainees after they were detained

I agree. All children. Not just the ones in Gaza. All children are worthy of concern. No children should be abused, tortured.

Bloody hell that’s heartbreak and terrifying, I have a teenage boy, I can’t even bear to think how the parents of these children must feel.