The number of Palestinian minors held in administrative detention in Israel rose sharply within roughly a year, rising from 103 in January 2025 to 191 in March 2026, according to Israel Prison Service data obtained by the organization Parents Against Child Detention.

Those under administrative detention can be held indefinitely without charge or trial. Under the controversial practice — which Israel says is needed to address urgent security threats — the detainee is not informed of the allegations against them, and any evidence is presented in court in classified proceedings.

In addition, the number of minors held in administrative detention for more than a year rose more than eightfold, from six in March 2025 to 50 in March 2026.

The figures also show that administrative detention has become an increasingly frequent form of incarceration for Palestinian minors. At the beginning of 2025, about a third of Palestinian minors held by Israel were in administrative detention. By March 2026, the proportion had risen to nearly half.

Titi Carmel, executive director of Parents Against Child Detention, said in a statement that the figures are alarming.

“While children in Israel and around the world are enjoying their summer vacation, a growing number of Palestinian children are being held in harsh conditions identical to........

© The Times of Israel