Defense for Children International confirmed that the Israeli occupation forces(IOF) continue to mistreat and torture Palestinian children after detaining them in a systematic and widespread manner. 

The movement said that the Israeli forces tortured 838 Palestinian children it had detained between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2023. 

In this context, the movement documented the case of 14-year-old Majd Radwan from the town of Azzun in the Qalqilya Governorate in the West Bank who was tortured and ill-treated by the IOF while they detained him on April 29. 

Majd's testimony

In his testimony to Defense for Children International, Majd said that the IOF detained him on the afternoon of April 29 while he was with a group of friends in Azzun. 

He revealed that two IOF vehicles chased the group of children for a short distance and that his friends were able to escape, however, he was forced to stop out of fear of being run over. 

The moment he stopped, 10 IOF troops got out of the vehicles and pointed their weapons at him then one of them moved closer to him and kicked him in the face causing his fall to the ground. 

The IOF troops continued to severely beat Majd using the back of their rifle, hands, and feet non-stop for about 30 minutes as Majd screamed and cried out of extreme fear and pain. 

After that, the IOF troops handcuffed Majd's hands behind his back using a single plastic zip tie and blindfolded him. He then pushed him into one of the military vehicles and forced him to sit on the floor. 

Inside the vehicle, two IOF troops started assaulting Majd again and severely beating him all over his body. One of them put the front of his military boot in the child's mouth while simultaneously using his other foot to step on his chest. 

Further addressing what the IOF did to him in the vehicle, Majd said that he was screaming and crying out of intense pain and fear. 

"I felt like I was going to suffocate," he expressed adding that they continued to assault him for about 10 minutes. 

'I want to kill you by suffocation'

The IOF troops then took Majd to the military checkpoint at the northern entrance of Azzun where one of the troops pulled him out of the vehicle and forced him to stand without allowing him to move his body at all. He then hit him with the back of his rifle on his chest, head, and sides addressing him using the most demeaning insults as confirmed by Majd. 

The 14-year-old child said that he was begging the IOF troop to stop hitting him but it was to no avail. He added that the troop then put his hands on his neck and shocked him with all force saying to him in Arabic "I want to kill you by suffocation." 

Majd said that due to that he felt very dizzy before losing consciousness. 

He then regained consciousness at around 5:00 pm that day and felt himself lying at the door of a room still handcuffed and blindfolded, Majd added. 

Psychological, verbal and physical torture 

Describing what happened to him after he woke up, Majd said that he heard a dog barking and a cat meowing next to him so he started screaming out of fear. At those moments one of the IOF troops said to him in Arabic that he wanted to let the dog "eat him." 

Majd cried and begged the IOF troop excessively, but the latter mocked him as the dog and cat approached the 14-year-old child. 

Majd said that he felt the dog's body touch him as it was making a frightening sound. 

The IOF troop was controlling the dog and whenever he got too close to Majd, he pulled him away a little while the cat caused several wounds to his face and various parts of his body. 

The 14-year-old boy confirmed in his testimony that this lasted for about 9 hours until approximately 2:00 am the next day. 

After the IOF soldier took the dog and cat away, he came back and kicked Majd in the chest and head then hit his head against the wall several times. 

Majd said that he collapsed and could no longer scream or cry. He was thirsty and informed the IOF troop but he ignored him and ordered him to remain silent. 

At a later time, the IOF troops dragged him into the vehicle again where he was assaulted repeatedly. 

One of the troops told him in Arabic that he wanted to break his hands and legs before hitting him hard on both parts. 

According to the testimony, the IOF troops then took Majd to an occupation police station in the Israeli Emmanuel settlement which was established on the lands of the Salfit and Qalqilya governorates. There, the IOF troops put him in a square and ordered him to remain standing. 

At around 3:30 am on the same day, they took him in for an interrogation that lasted about two hours as the investigator beat him and shouted at him.

After the interrogation ended, the IOF troops re-cuffed Majd's hands and blindfolded him then put him inside the military vehicle where they said that they would transport him to the Ariel settlement which was established on the lands of the Salfit Governorate.

In the Israeli Ariel settlement, the troops put Majd in a square with one of them spraying him with splashing him with water until his clothes became wet. He then spat on him, the 14-year-old said. 

At around 7:30 am, the IOF troops removed the blindfold and one of them told him that he would be transferred to the Megiddo prison.

According to his testimony to Defense for Children International, Majd said that on the way there, he was beaten, assured, and insulted by the troops who were also filming him with their phones at the same time while he cried. 

After arriving at Megiddo prison, the IOF troops put Majd in a yard for about an hour then moved him to Ofer prison on the lands of of Beitunia, west of Ramallah.

There, they told him that there was no room for him so they took him back to Ariel and put him in a yard again amid hot weather after blindfolding him again for about two hours. 

Majd said that he was feeling dizzy and exhausted due to being deprived of food, water and even using the toilet through his detention. 

After two hours passed, Majd was then pulled again into a vehicle. The vehicle moved for 10 minutes then stopped and one of the IOF troops removed the plastic zip ties around his hands and the blindfold from Majd's eyes and then pushed him out of the vehicle. 

Majd looked around and realized that he was at the intersection of Haris village near the ariel settlement. 

He said that he could not move or stand so he remained on the ground until a Palestinian vehicle stopped next to him and its driver took him back to Azzun after he told him what happened to him. 

Majd added that he was transferred to the Azzun Governmental Hospital where he received first aid and treatment before going back to his house.