At least 230 Palestinian children arrested by Israel in three months: PPS

The rights group released the report a day before the marking of Palestinian Children's Day - an annual commemoration of the plight of Palestine's youth on 5 April. 

"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," the PPS said in its report.

The majority of arrests of Palestinian children by Israel since the beginning of 2021 were in Jerusalem.

The prisoner welfare monitor said that those arrested are often placed under house arrest or released on bail.

Palestinian children are often detained during the almost daily raids that occur across the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for "wanted" Palestinians.

According to the Palestinian branch of Defense for Children International (DCI), 85 percent of Palestinian children arrested by Israel last year were "subjected to physical violence".

The group also said in a statement that it had recorded the administrative detention of 36 children since 2015. Israel's policy of administrative detention allows it to hold Palestinian detainees indefinitely without charge.