Nearly 350 Palestinian minors held in Israeli jails

A Palestinian non-governmental organization says Israel is holding nearly 350 minors, among them children as young as 15, in prisons and detention facilities across the occupied territories.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) announced that it has documented more than 2,000 cases of child arrests since late 2015, and that most of the detentions have been carried out in the occupied al-Quds ('Jerusalem'), Arabic-language Palestine al-Aan news agency reported.

The group made the announcement on the eve of United Nations Universal Children's Day on November 20.

The PPC further pointed to the crimes that Israeli authorities are perpetrating against Palestinian children, namely direct and deliberate use of firearms, interrogation and detention without offering any food or drink, severe beatings, use of abusive language, threats and intimidation bids as well as forced confession.

The NGO noted that the ratification of “racist” bills and legislation, and levy of heavy cash fines against families of Palestinian child inmates have reached a record high this year.

The revelations came on the same day that Israeli authorities transferred 14-year-old Ahmad Saleh Manasra to the high-security Megiddo prison.