More than 600 Palestinian children were placed under house arrest by Israeli courts in 2022, according to the Commission for Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs.

The commission said Israeli forces resort to house arrest as a means to “punish” Palestinian children – mostly under the age of 14 – as Israeli law does not permit their imprisonment.

Consequently, the court orders their detention inside their home for a specific period in which the court examines the child detainee’s file until a judicial ruling has been made.

Judicial proceedings can last between a few days and even a year before a verdict has been issued, and this period is not included in the child detainee’s house arrest term.

During this period, a child is not allowed to leave for school or access healthcare facilities without supervision and must wear a tracking electronic bracelet.

Israeli forces often impose these measures on Palestinian children in occupied east Jerusalem.

In such situations, parents are often forced to sell their belongings and use their savings to deposit money in the court’s treasury, in the hopes that authorities will ensure the child’s release.

Palestinian children can also be subjected to house arrest outside their family home, where they are forced to stay in an accommodation in a different town. Families are forced to rent a second property should Israeli courts impose this type of house arrest, which often results in a financial burden.

Moreover, the commission stated that house arrest often leaves children with harrowing psychological problems including anxiety, as they are deprived of education, social interactions, and typical daily occurrences, all of which aid a child’s development.

(The New Arab, PC, SOCIAL)