Qais Omar
22 April 2026•Update: 23 April 2026
- Around 360 Palestinian children currently held in Israeli prisons, according to official data
A video showing Israeli soldiers detaining and assaulting two Palestinian brothers in the West Bank has triggered outrage, as Israeli violence against Palestinians continued unabated across the occupied territory.
The assault occurred in the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, where the two children were playing near their home when Israeli forces suddenly raided the area and chased them.
Nine-year-old Abdullah Abu Alia said soldiers caught them and hit them on the face and legs.
“We were playing and suddenly the soldiers came and chased us. One of them started hitting me… then they dragged me into their vehicles,” he told Anadolu.
He said he was unable to understand what the soldiers were saying as they spoke Hebrew.
His seven-year-old brother, Mohammed, said the soldiers assaulted them repeatedly, adding that he was targeted because he was wearing a shirt “bearing the Palestinian flag and map.”
Local sources said the children were playing at the time of the assault, which has heightened fear among residents amid repeated raids into the village.
Outrage
Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, condemned the assault on US social media company X, describing the Israeli army as “the most depraved army.”
The video shared by Albanese, and widely circulated online, appears to show two Israeli soldiers detaining a child in a distressing manner while a third soldier drags and pushes another child, estimated to be around nine years old.
Palestinian activists said the incident took place during an Israeli army raid on the village on Saturday, followed by a siege on Sunday, coinciding with an attack by occupiers that sparked clashes.
Al-Mughayyir has witnessed escalating attacks by Israeli occupiers and army forces, including harassment of shepherds, assaults on residents, and restrictions on movement through closures of village entrances.
The occupied West Bank has seen a sharp escalation since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023.
Official figures show that more than 1,149 Palestinians have been killed, around 11,750 injured, and nearly 22,000 detained by Israeli fire and occupants during this period.
Palestinian children are frequently exposed to violations during Israeli military raids in the West Bank.
According to official data, around 360 Palestinian children are currently held in Israeli prisons under conditions similar to those faced by adult detainees.
Israeli forces conduct near-daily raids across the West Bank, often involving confrontations with residents and property damage.
*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.
