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Israel's Ofer detention center in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah (File) Published by Maan News
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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Of the scores of Palestinian minors held in Israel’s Ofer detention center, at least 35 were detained during the month of June alone, according to a statement from the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners’ Affairs that condemned Israel’s ongoing policy of imposing exorbitant fines against the families of Palestinian detainees.

The statement said Israeli military courts imposed fines totaling 38,000 shekels ($10,740) against Palestinians minors held in Ofer in June, while in May, the cumulative amount of fines affecting minors reached 42,000 shekels. An earlier report from the committee said fines imposed on Palestinian minors held Ofer in May was 38,000 shekels.

The committee said the fines collected from detainees only funnel back into the Israeli army’s budget, which is used to further reinforce Israel’s military arsenal and incarceration systems levied against the Palestinian people.

Of the 35 child detainees,18 were detained from their homes, three from off of the street, 11 at Israeli military checkpoints, one after being summoned for interrogation, and two inside Israel for not having work permits.

The Palestinian Authority (PA)-run committee said that all prisoners under the age of 18 face different forms of torture throughout the detention process and while inside Israeli prisons.

to prisoners rights group Addameer, as of May, there were 6,200 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli prisons, 300 of whom were minors.

The Palestinian Ministry of Information has estimated that some 12,000 Palestinian children have been detained by Israel since 2000, adding that the overwhelming majority of them were beaten or tortured while in Israeli custody, handcuffed, blindfolded, and forced to confess to charges in the absence of a lawyer or guardian.

According to a recent report from Military Court Watch (MCW) based on testimonies from 127 children detained by the military in 2016, 53 percent of Palestinian children reported being arrested between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., and only 2 percent of children reported being served with a summons as an alternative to night arrest.

The vast majority of child detainees -- 94 percent -- reported being hand tied, 81 percent of children reported being blindfolded or hooded, and 64 percent of children reported being subjected to various forms of physical abuse.

The majority of Palestinian children interviewed by MCW -- 84 percent -- said they were not informed of their right to silence and 88 percent of children said they were denied access to a lawyer prior to questioning.

An overwhelming 94 percent of children reported that they were not accompanied by a parent throughout their interrogation.