RAMALLAH / PNN / 

Israeli occupation authorities have placed Maeen Salahat, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, under administrative detention, making him the youngest Palestinian to be held without charge or trial since 2008, according to the Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS).

Salahat was arrested in recent days in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus. His detention under the administrative detention system — which allows Israeli authorities to hold detainees indefinitely based on undisclosed evidence — has drawn sharp condemnation from Palestinian rights groups.

The PPS said in a statement that Salahat's arrest marks a significant escalation in Israel's ongoing policy of detaining Palestinian minors, calling it a violation of international laws protecting children's rights.

Administrative detention is a widely criticized practice that allows Israel to detain Palestinians without formal charges or trial for renewable periods of up to six months. Rights groups say the measure is often used arbitrarily against Palestinians, including minors.

According to Palestinian officials, more than 200 Palestinian children are currently held in Israeli prisons, with dozens under administrative detention.

International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly called on Israel to end its use of administrative detention, particularly against minors.

The PPS called on the international community to intervene and pressure Israel to release Salahat and all Palestinian children held without charge.