Israeli forces detain five Palestinian children in West Bank

Five children were among at least 10 Palestinians who were detained by Israeli from their homes in Sa'ir town, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank early on Sunday morning.

Israeli army jeeps surrounded the town afterwhich soldiers began raiding houses before detaining Palestinians, according to local and Palestinian security sources.

The children were identified as Rashad Jaradat (14), Mousa Jaradat (14), Hesham Jaradat (14), Mohammad Khaled Jaradat (15) and Murad Mutawir (15). It was unclear what the children are accused of.

Israeli forces also detained two Palestinian men in the village of Jannatah, south of the occupied West Bank, and two other Palestinians in Jenin, north of the region, for allegedly intercepting Israeli soldiers at a temporary military checkpoint.

According to Defense for Children International, Israel prosecutes between 500 and 700 Palestinian children in military courts each year. Prisoners’ rights group Addameer has said 140 Palestinian children are currently imprisoned by Israel.

Israel is the only country in the world that automatically prosecutes children in military courts.

Rights groups have warned that Palestinian children in Israeli detention lack fundamental fair trial rights and protections.

Children typically arrive to interrogations bound, blindfolded, and sleep-deprived. They often give confessions after verbal abuse, threats, and physical and psychological violence.

Many children have been held in solitary confinement solely for interrogation purposes. They have no right to legal counsel during interrogation, and Israeli military court judges rarely exclude confessions obtained by coercion or torture.

Prominent rights groups Breaking the Silence, Yesh Din and Physicians for Human Rights Israel released a joint report last November condemning the military practice of detaining Palestinians children.