“I’d rather die than go back”: Child prisoners of Israel

JVL Introduction

This is a hard but important read about the arrest and incarceration of a 15 year old boy.  The middle of the night arrests, the being thrown into an Israeli military jeep and parents not being told where their child has been taken has been going on for years but, like so much other cruelty, has accelerated since October 7th 2023.

This is systematic: most arrested will experience being taken from their homes in the middle of the night, quite likely beaten en route, pressured to confess, and subject to the harsh prison conditions as well as having no contact with their families. 

His mother tells us that after her son was taken from the family home. they “…stayed up until the sun came out, and then my brother called the Red Cross.” By the time the family secured legal representation, Zaid had confessed to throwing stones. He now vehemently denies the allegation and says he confessed after hours of beatings.”

But the confession, obtained under duress and so would not be counted in many countries was enough for the Israeli military prosecutors to issue formal charges against Zaid.  As a result he spent more than 9 months in jail (for allegedly throwing stones) where he was subject to beatings, starvation and illness as well as isolation from his family.

This article was originally published by +972 Magazine on Wed 30 Sep 2026. Read the original here.