Written question asked by Caroline Lucas (Green Party) on Thursday, 7 December 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 11 December 2023. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Wednesday, 20 December 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Israel: Palestinians

Question: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an estimate of the number of Palestinian children (a) arrested by the Israeli authorities and (b) held under administrative detention since 7 October 2023.

Answer: The UK has made plain its concern about the continued reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli military detention, particularly relating children, however we cannot give an accurate estimate of the number of the number of children arrested or detained. The UK is committed to working with Israel to secure improvements in its detention practices and repeatedly calls on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law. This has been raised by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary with Prime Minister Netanyahu.

Secondary information