Representative of the minor prisoners in Ofer, AbdelFattah Doula, who is sentenced for 15 years of imprisonment, on Monday said that the number of Palestinian minors in Israeli jails hit its highest in August, with the highest bails as well. In August, Doula said that the number of minors detained was 42, who were all under the age of 18. 13 of them are under the age of 15. Of all these prisoners, 23 were detained from home, five from checkpoints, four on the streets, nine after "reported" and one from workplace. Eight of the prisoners were brutally beaten during their arrest. Doula added that three of them went through long investigation periods, which lasted for 26 days, and others were detained more than once. Lawyer of the prisoners committee, Ibrahim Alaraj, said that 21 minors were detained in August, and their periods of imprisonment ranged between 6-19 months. Some received fines of 40,000 NIS in August alone. The total of fines imposed on the minors made 317,000 NIS (approx $806,000 ). Alaraj assured that the majority of the detainees were forced to admit "confessions" under violence and pressure. Alaraj said that 30 of the detained children suffer from health problems, including breathing issues, diabetes, or injuries of bullets during arrest. The prisoners received treatment before being detained, but the IPS does not allow them any medical follow-up or health check-ups. Alaraj pointed out that arresting children or detaining them for more than 24 hours is a flagrant violation of human rights. This includes medical neglect, preventing family visits, and putting them in waiting rooms with adults.
