The Palestine Section of Defense for Children International reported Monday that at least 330 child prisoners are currently imprisoned in Israeli prisons and detention centers.
Khaled Qirmaz, a lawyer working with DCI in Palestine, said that there are currently 100 child detainees who were sentenced to more than 10 consecutive years. The total number of child detainees is 330, including 120 detainees imprisoned in Telmond Hasharon detention center.
“During al-Aqsa Intifada, which started in late 2000, the Israeli army killed 720 children,†Qirmaz added.
Qirmaz also reported that West Bank lawyers working with the DCI have difficulty representing the child detainees effectively because they are not granted permits to visit their clients, who are held in prisons inside Israel.
“We appointed lawyers from Israel since our West Bank lawyers are not allowed in Israel,†Qirmaz said. “Yet the lawyers have to wait for several hours in front of the prison door until they are allowed to visit one or two detainees.â€Â
Defense for Children International, a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, has more than 50 branches around the world, including Palestine.
