Israel detained 71 Palestinian children in February as brutal crackdown continues

Dozens of Palestinian children were detained by Israeli forces last month, a coalition of prisoners' advocacy groups said in their monthly report, as part of a brutal crackdown in the occupied West Bank. 

Israeli forces detained a total of 448 Palestinians including 71 minors and 10 women in February, with the highest number of detentions taking place in occupied East Jerusalem, where 166 Palestinians were incarcerated, including 56 children. 

The report said Israel issued 107 administrative detention orders in February against Palestinians, including 32 new ones and 75 renewals.

The groups that compiled the report included the Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners Affairs Commission, the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and Wadi Hilweh Information Center.

Israel is currently holding around 4400 Palestinians in its jails, including 33 women, 160 minors.

Around 500 out of the 4,550 Palestinian political prisoners are being held in Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial, according to the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.

Under administrative detention orders, Israel imprisons Palestinians for six months at a time. The orders can extended indefinitely.

Israel says the procedure allows authorities to hold alleged suspects in a measure to "prevent attacks" while continuing to gather evidence.

Rights groups say that this  system is abusive to Palestinian children, who are mostly arrested on suspicion of throwing stones.