The report comes just a day before Palestinian Children’s Day, which is celebrated annually on April 5 with cultural, educational and media activities aimed at raising awareness on the plight of Palestinian children, “who lack the most basic rights due to the Israeli occupation,” according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
The arrests were concentrated in the occupied city of Jerusalem al-Quds, said the PPS, which monitors the conditions of detainees in Israeli prisons, Anadolu news agency reported.
The rights group said that detainees are often released either on bail or by transferring them to house arrest, without indicating the numbers of those who were released.
"The imprisoned children are subjected to various forms of abuse, including being denied food or drink for long hours, verbal abuse and being detained under harsh conditions," it said.
The Palestinian branch of Defense for Children International (DCI) said in a statement that 85% of the children arrested last year were "subjected to physical violence."
An estimated 4,400 Palestinians are believed to be detained in Israeli prisons, including 39 women and 350 administrative detainees, according to official Palestinian data.
Administrative detention allows Israelis to extend the detention of a prisoner without charge after the expiration of the sentence, which ranges between two to six months.
MNA/PR
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