Ankara: Palestinian children held in Israeli detention have faced alleged abuses, with conditions said to have worsened since Oct. 7, 2023, a Save the Children report said, according to the daily De Standaard on Saturday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the report states that around 350 Palestinian children are currently held in Israeli detention, encompassing both pre-trial and administrative detention without charge. It alleges that these children have been subjected to physical violence, prolonged interrogations, and poor detention conditions, such as overcrowding and limited access to family contact.

The report highlights restricted access for humanitarian organizations to detention facilities, which limits independent monitoring of conditions. Save the Children has called for an end to the detention of Palestinian children and urged for full access to independent monitors, including the International Committee of the Red Cross.

‘By maintaining privileged relations with Israel, the European Union is also complicit in this,’ commented Marc Botenga, a Belgian member of the European Parliament, on US social media company X.

Currently, over 9,500 Palestinians, including 350 children and 73 women, are held in Israeli prisons. Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups have reported that detainees face torture, starvation, and medical neglect, leading to dozens of deaths.

Since October 2023, Israel has intensified measures against Palestinian prisoners alongside its war in the Gaza Strip. The ongoing conflict has resulted in more than 72,000 deaths and 172,000 injuries in Gaza, most of whom are women and children.