RAMALLAH, February 17, 2011 (WAFA) - Israel arrested 32 Palestinian minors in the first two weeks of February, adding to the 320 that it already holds in prison, according to a report published Thursday by the Palestinian Ministry of Information (MOI).
At the same time, a UNICEF report published Thursday on children affected by the Palestinian-Israeli conflict said that 11 Palestinian children were killed and 360 injured in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip during 2010.
The MOI report said the children were “subjected to all forms of torture during interrogation.”
It referred to a report by the Palestinian Prisoners Club (PPC) which said that Israel had extended detention periods and arrests of several children.
The MOI said Israel has 320 imprisoned children and holds 75 under house arrest, mostly in Jerusalem and its surrounding villages. The report stated that settlers assaulted 15 children, inflicting physical and psychological injuries.
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Israeli police arrested a 13-year-old boy on Wednesday and detained him for six hours during which he was interrogated about throwing stones in Silwan, a neighborhood south of Jerusalem, according to his family.
The police placed the boy under a four day house arrest and fined his father 500 shekels ($140).
The UNICEF report said five of the 11 dead Palestinian children were killed in the Gaza buffer zone, which Israel has enforced inside the Gaza Strip and runs along their common borders. Israeli soldiers shoot randomly at Palestinians approaching the buffer zone, which Israel said runs 300 meters along the Gaza borders, but at places extends up to two kilometers inside the narrow Gaza Strip.
Two others were killed in the Gaza Strip when leftover Israeli army artillery shells exploded as they playing with them, said the report.
The other four were killed in the West Bank as a result of Israeli settlers-related incidents. Three were killed by Israeli soldiers and one directly by settlers, said UNICEF.
Of the 360 Palestinian children injured, 18 were girls and 58 were under the age of 12.
The UNICEF report said that 83% of the violations occurred in the West Bank, including 38% per cent in East Jerusalem. A total of 302 child injuries were perpetrated by the Israeli security forces and 40 injuries were perpetrated by Israeli settlers.
“In 2010, grave violations continued to be committed against children in the occupied Palestinian territory,” said UNICEF.
M.N./F.J./M.A.
