RAMALLAH, January 18, 2009 (WAFA)- Defense for Children International DCI-Palestine said, Saturday, that its lawyers have observed that the number of children brought to the Israeli Military Courts in pre-trial hearings in the first two weeks of January was twice as high as numbers in 2008.

DCI expressed its concern over the high number of Palestinian children arrested by Israeli Occupation Forces in the West Bank. In addition, during the first two weeks of January alone, DCI-Palestine's legal department received 10 new cases of children for legal representation in the Israeli Military Courts, whereas the monthly average is 10-15 new cases. Out of these 10 cases, eight children were arrested from the streets and/or during demonstrations. DCI-Palestine has not yet been able to take statements from the children and is unable to confirm whether they were participating in these demonstrations.

DCI-Palestine added it is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of Palestinians, possibly including a number of children under 18 years old, have been arrested by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip during its aggression on the Strip.

Following Israel's offensive on Gaza and the ensuing bloodshed, a group of Palestinian human rights organizations working on prisoner issues decided to boycott the Israeli Military Courts. Palestinian lawyers from NGOs and the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, as well as Arab Israeli lawyers working in the Israeli Military Courts organized intermittent strikes, including sit-ins outside the Courts and demonstrations.