SAFA — Around 370 Palestinian children are currently detained in Israeli prisons under harsh conditions, where they face reported torture, abuse and deprivation of food, according to the Palestinian Center for the Defense of Prisoners.

The center warned Thursday of ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinian minors, saying the abuses are part of broader violations against Palestinian detainees.

It said most of the children are being held in Israel’s Megiddo and Ofer prisons, where they face severe humanitarian conditions and abuse by Israeli jailers.

According to testimonies from released children, detainees have been beaten, restrained and threatened, as well as deprived of adequate food and water.

The center also cited medical neglect and malnutrition among the conditions faced by detained children, adding that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested 276 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem during the first half of 2026.

It warned that the arrests are taking a serious toll on children’s physical and psychological well-being.

Testimonies from released minors also describe multiple Israeli violations during detention, underscoring the need for greater international action to protect Palestinian children in Israeli custody, the center said.

The center called on the United Nations, UNICEF and other international organizations to take urgent and concrete measures to protect detained Palestinian children and halt Israeli abuses against them.

It also called for detained children to be guaranteed access to medical treatment, health care, education and family visits in accordance with international law and standards governing the protection of children.

The testimonies come amid international scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of Palestinian detainees, particularly children, in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

The center urged international bodies to fulfill their responsibilities and ensure the rights and basic needs of Palestinian children in Israeli detention are protected.