These are not stories. These are the words of children who were tortured in Israel's Military Detention System.

The testimonies below are not one-offs or random outliers. The UN and leading human rights organizations have found the ill-treatment of children is "widespread, systematic and institutionalized". For the safety of the children we do not reveal their name or age, but all the testimonials come from credible sources - specifically Defense for Children International Palestine, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

An estimated 10,000 children have been held in this system over the past 20 years, and today there are over 400 children enduring unimaginable pain and horror with no end or hope in sight.

But together we can help. Together we can amplify their voices:

  1. Find a testimony that ‘speaks’ to you.

  2. Record a video of yourself reading it.

  3. Post it and tag us on Instagram @itsnotover4palestine.

  4. Use the hashtags #ItsNotOver and #FreeTheChildren.

The testimonies are below, you can also download them in English and other languages: English , French , Greek, Italian and Spanish.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “A jailer showed me a photo of my mother. They had edited a picture of her lying next to a soldier and said, ‘Look at what our soldiers did to your mother. Do you want to go and see your mother? Our soldiers raped and killed your mother and sisters.’ I unleashed a torrent of curses fueled by my rage, and because of that I was suspended in the air for an entire week. They beat me with clubs on my legs and hurled vulgar insults at me.

    [Since my release] nighttime brings me terror as I awaken screaming from nightmares.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “Before being detained, I was shot in my leg and in my back – the bullet went through my stomach. I was taken to hospital where soldiers interrogated me. My hands and feet were cuffed to the bed. I told them I didn’t know anything. They sent me to prison.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “They subjected us to electric shocks and used dogs to torture us. Every two days, after midnight, they would bring dogs and launch stun grenades into the cells to force us awake and make us kneel. If I didn’t wake up the soldiers would beat me, and I risked being hit by a stun grenade they tossed into the room - if they come into contact with anyone's body, the plastic can melt and inflict injuries. The burns were intense.

    Now I find myself waking up at 2:00 a.m., the exact time of the raid, a habit formed during prison. Each time I recall those moments, I find myself sitting alone and crying.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “After interrogation, I came out a completely different person. I was tied to an iron chair, with my hands behind my back. The beatings seemed to just never stop. And I was blindfolded, so I couldn’t see the stick they were beating me with – or when the next blow would come. I didn’t even know night from day.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “The soldier dragged me to one of the military vehicles, tied my hands and made me sit. He pointed his rifle at me and said, 'I'll shoot you with this when we get there.' The driver said to me, ‘Either you tell us who's throwing stones or prepare yourself to be hanged.’ I was trembling and I answered, ‘I swear to God I don't know.’

    The soldier got me off the vehicle and took me to a yard. He threatened to put me in prison for many years if I did not confess and kept trying to get a confession from me for about two hours. The soldier who arrested me had his rifle pointed to my head the whole time. I am still scared they may arrest me again.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • The torture of a child, abducted by Israeli forces and held within the military detention system, was documented. The following account is based on his testimony and experience:

    He was interrogated and ordered to provide details of his family. Dissatisfied with the responses, the interrogator subjected him to torture. He was taken to the roof of a building and tied to a rope, left hanging upside down for an extended period. Later, the interrogator released the rope, and the child plummeted to the ground, dropping the height of roughly five floors before the rope tightened again, stopping his fall about half a meter above the ground. He was left suspended for approximately 20 minutes. The torture caused him to urinate, as he was left struggling to breathe and suffocating. The child recalled, “It felt as though I was teetering on the brink of death.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child on the torture he experienced when he was taken from his grandparents home to be put in the Israeli Military Detention System:

    “I opened my eyes and saw a masked soldier standing near my bed. He was with two other masked soldiers, and they were all yelling at me. A soldier told me to lie down on my stomach, and then he slapped me several times on the neck, while the other two kicked me with their military boots. My grandparents were crying in the living room because I was beaten up. They put a large piece of cloth over my eyes, covering my entire face and I felt I was choking. They tied my hands behind my back with a single plastic tie, which was very tight. When I asked them to loosen it, they beat me.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “Sometimes they broke into our prison cells and made us stand in the cold air outside. They didn’t allow us to sleep. One night, they broke the roof and we had to spend the night with the rain pouring into our room.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “The soldiers subjected me and the other detainees to brutal beatings, causing blood to stream from my nose as they struck me with metal objects on my head and face, leaving my eyes swollen. Those who dared to disobey faced severe beatings. Any sign of exhaustion could lead to severe consequences. If we failed to sit properly, stood up, or even glanced at the jailer in a way they deemed inappropriate, the soldiers would respond with brutal beatings. At times they would unleash dogs on us, tying our hands and allowing the animals to attack mercilessly.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “Around 10 soldiers exited the military vehicles, pointing their guns at me and started physically assaulting me for 30 minutes. I was screaming and crying in fear and pain. They cuffed my hands behind my back with a single plastic tie, and I was blindfolded, thrown inside a military vehicle. One of them put his boot on my mouth while stomping on my chest with his other boot. I was begging him to stop hitting me but to no avail. He then wrapped his hands around my neck, pressed with all his strength, and said to me in Arabic, ‘I'll kill you by strangulation.’”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “For me, the transfer bus was the worst. There is a tiny box inside that barely fits one person; what they would do is put two of us together in that box handcuffed to each other and driven around all day. They would drive us for hours, from early in the morning to late at night, just locked in that box.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “I realised something after I was released from prison. Before I was physically incarcerated, but when I left, I was still in prison. I am still living under their military control, under occupation. It never ends. Just five days ago, I saw soldiers kill a friend. They shot him in the head. It feels like I am always in a prison, I will never experience true freedom.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System. He recounts what happened to him and other child prisoners after they took down an Israeli flag from the prison courtyard.

    “Many soldiers stormed the section, some armed and others with sticks, along with three police dogs wearing muzzles. They pushed us to a corner and unleashed the dogs on us. They continued beating us for about two and a half hours while we screamed in pain. During this, they tied our hands behind our backs with plastic ties. Afterward, the soldiers burned our hands and parts of my shoulders and arms with cigarettes, causing intense pain. We were then taken to a room outside the section, where they continued beating us. After that, we were placed in solitary confinement, and due to the beatings, I occasionally lost consciousness. The soldiers continued their brutality by burning us with cigarettes on our hands, necks, and shoulders, and spraying us with gas that caused spasms when inhaled.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child and the torture he experienced when he was taken from his home at 5am to be put in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “They beat me in front of my mother and two young sisters. My mother tried to defend me, but one of the soldiers pushed her and knocked her down. The soldier pushed me against a glass table in the living room, and it shattered….

    I was handcuffed and blindfolded. There were soldiers inside the military vehicle, and they left me lying on the metal floor. They did not stop assaulting me on the way with slaps and kicks with their military boots. The vehicle was moving very fast, and when it went over a bump, I would jump into the air and hit the floor, which was covered with my blood.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “I can’t stop replaying all the things that happened to me in my head – it’s so scary to think about. Every time I go to bed, I feel scared. I always feel alert and I’m worried that the soldier who arrested me will find me again. He told me that when I turn 18, he’s going to come back for me.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “The first time I was arrested my parents spent their time crying - it felt like someone has died, as if they’ve lost me for good. I know they were in so much pain, but it’s not in my hands, I couldn’t do anything to help them. After I was released, they were so happy, especially the first couple of weeks. But now, they’re just always worried, my mum calls me many times during the day just to check on me.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “Israeli forces forced me to sit on the ground. They beat me several times on my leg, which was injured by a bullet that had not yet been removed. Before entering the interrogation room, I asked a soldier for water, but he refused and beat me violently. In prison I started suffering from skin diseases, fungus and rash due to the lack of sanitation, because they prevented us from showering regularly and being exposed to sunlight for sufficient periods. Most of the time, we were deprived of our hour of freedom in the prison yard.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “I was taking a shower when they came to arrest me, and they didn’t allow me to put on my clothes before leaving the house. They beat me on the way to the interrogation centre.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “They transferred me at 2am and I would be returned to prison at 2am the following night. We would be put in waiting cells, as they procrastinate and we have no water or food, or ability to use the bathroom. All this torture is for a court hearing that does not last more than 4 minutes, and each time they would end up postponing my hearing.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “[When I was in Megiddo Prison] the Israeli suppression unit came with tear gas and batons. They stormed our room and started insulting us, shouting at us, and spitting in our faces. Then they took us separately for a strip-search and beat us on our heads and all over our bodies. Then we were handcuffed, had our feet shackled, blindfolded and taken to Damon prison. I was returned to Megiddo prison and severely beaten by the guards. The room was raided while I was with other children. We were forced to gather in a corner, and were severely beaten with batons until our clothes were filled with blood.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is the testimony of a child who was detained 6 times by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System.

    “They destroyed the main door, entered my room, covered my face with a bag and took me. They forced the rest of my family members into one room while they arrested me. They told my father that I will return tomorrow. I returned after 12 months.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.

  • This is from the testimony of a child who was abducted by Israeli forces and tortured in the Israeli Military Detention System. He was kept in solitary confinement for weeks.

    “The solitary confinement cell had a foul smell. Its walls were gray and had a rough texture. The lights were strong and disturbing to the eye. I could hardly distinguish day from night. There was also a thin, dirty mattress that had a foul smell, in addition to a pit toilet. There was an air conditioner that was deliberately turned on at a cold temperature for no less than an hour, and then at a hot temperature for another hour, and so on. I felt extreme fatigue because of that, and it happened more than once. I was interrogated almost on a daily basis. I was not allowed to receive any legal advice from a lawyer.”

    You’ll find this testimony and others in the websites and reports of DCI-P, Save the Children, and Amnesty International.