Most Palestinian Minors in Israeli Prisons Placed in Solitary Confinement

Over half of the minors imprisoned in Israeli Prison Service facilities in 2025, the majority of them Palestinian detainees, were placed in solitary confinement at least once. This data comes from the Prison Service's response to a freedom of information request filed by the Israeli Committee Against Torture.

According to the figures, 351 out of 635 imprisoned minors were subjected to solitary confinement, with the youngest being five boys aged 13 and 14. The solitary confinement periods typically lasted seven days, and in some cases, two weeks. The request did not inquire about prisoners' nationality or population registry status, focusing solely on their prison conditions.

The response revealed that 92% of the minors placed in solitary confinement had not been tried. Of these, 176 were held in administrative detention without charges, and 115 were detained under administrative orders from the Shin Bet security agency. Another 31 were in "other statuses," either pre-trial or without trial. A total of 326 minors in solitary confinement were classified as security detainees, indicating they were Palestinian prisoners, while only 25 were classified as criminal detainees, with just four having been tried.

Additionally, 14 minors, including one girl, were held in solitary confinement for periods ranging from a few hours to two days. Data from the organization B'Tselem, based on Prison Service and IDF publications, indicated that in 2025, 351 Palestinian minors classified as security prisoners were under the Prison Service's custody, out of approximately 9,100 Palestinian prisoners.

The data suggests that punitive solitary confinement measures were primarily applied to Palestinian prisoners and detainees, with most being sent to isolation multiple times. The practice was implemented 666 times, with 154 minors isolated more than once, and 42 subjected to isolation four to eight times. Prison Service instructions define solitary confinement as "detention in a cell without other prisoners, and without permission to leave the cell, including the daily outdoor walk." These regulations do not differentiate between adults and minors.

The Prison Service denied that solitary confinement was used to curb the spread of scabies, which has been prevalent in detention centers since early 2024 due to poor hygiene. The service told Haaretz that "there is nothing in the data to indicate that detention in isolation occurred due to scabies infection." Testimonies from released prisoners and lawyers attribute the scabies outbreak to severe deterioration in detention conditions, including overcrowding and lack of personal hygiene facilities. Prisoners are often given only two sets of clothes, which must be washed and dried in limited conditions, sometimes leading to wearing damp clothing and facilitating scabies transmission.