Palestinian detainee, Rami al-‘Alami, who supervises Palestinian children held at the ‘Ofer Israeli military prison, told a lawyer of the Palestinian Detainees’ Committee that around 100 children are held in Ofer, many require urgent medical, and psychological attention, due to bad conditions, abuse and torture.Al-‘Alami said the children in ‘Ofer Israeli prison are denied basic rights, including the right to education and proper treatment, including medical, and are treated as adults, and constantly harassed.
It is worth mentioning that the “Israeli Legal Counselor” instructed the Israeli Prison Authority to treat detained Palestinian Children as adults, especially in issues related to their continued detention and trial.
Around 250 Palestinian children are still held by Israel in Majeddo, ‘Ofer and HaSharon prisons.
They are sent to military courts, just like adult detainees, denied basic rights, instead of being treated as children in accordance with International Law.
Lawyer Hiba Masalha of the Detainees’ Committee said many child detainees provided sworn testimonies revealing torture and abuse, especially in HaSharon prison.
She said that detainee Noureddeen az-Zaghal, 17, from Abu Tour in occupied Jerusalem, was taken prisoner on July 6 2014, after the soldiers stormed his family home at 2 after midnight.
He was cuffed and blindfolded before the soldiers dragged him to their jeep, before forcing him forced onto the floor of the jeep, face down, and started beating him.
Az-Zaghal was then moved to the al-Maskobiyya interrogation center in Jerusalem, where he remained under interrogation, facing torture and abuse, for 18 days.
“I was then moved to the HaSharon prison; it is unfit for human use. It is very hot, with high humidity, and always overcrowded,” he said, “The mattresses are filthy, torn and decayed. Bugs, warms and termites are all over the place.”
Lawyer Masalha added that detainee Mahmoud Abu Teir, 17, from Um Touba village, near Jerusalem, was taken prisoner on July 8 2014, after the soldiers stormed his family home shortly after midnight.
He was then moved to the al-Maskobiyya, where he was stripped of his clothes, before he was cuffed, blindfolded, forced to kneel on the ground, and was kicked and beaten by the soldiers.
He remained in al-Maskobiyya, under interrogation and torture for 18 days. He repeatedly lost consciousness while under interrogation.
