Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to undertake a review of Israel’s compliance with international human rights law and, if so, what consideration would be given to the treatment of Palestinian children.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Further to my response of 8 December 2025 to the Noble Baroness's Question HL11828, we remain seriously concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children in detention, and we continue to raise the issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. On 22 June, the Minister for the Middle East also met with Save the Children to discuss our shared concerns.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with international partners on coordinated diplomatic efforts to secure an end to Israel's military detention of Palestinian children.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Further to my response of 8 December 2025 to the Noble Baroness's Question HL11828, we remain seriously concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children in detention, and we continue to raise the issue regularly with the Israeli authorities. On 22 June, the Minister for the Middle East also met with Save the Children to discuss our shared concerns.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the treatment of a Palestinian child, Osaid Mahfouz, in Megiddo Prison, in particular in regard to severe medical neglect and poor hygiene conditions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer provided in the House of Commons on 13 October to Question 76963, which - for ease of reference - is reproduced below:
The UK regularly raises our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We are clear that children must always be protected, and their rights upheld in accordance with international law. We are horrified by reports of mistreatment or abuse of Palestinian children in detention and call on the Israeli authorities to investigate these urgently and to ensure any perpetrators are held to account. Children must only be detained in line with internationally agreed juvenile justice standards or other applicable international law, and we call for an end to the military detention of Palestinian children where this is incompatible with those principles. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian children currently held in administrative detention without charge or trial by Israeli authorities, according to the most recent official data.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Throughout the conflict, the UK regularly raised our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have raised the issue of the administrative detention of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons in bilateral discussions or at international forums to seek their release or improve their conditions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Throughout the conflict, the UK regularly raised our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of ill-treatment, including physical abuse and poor detention conditions, of Palestinian children in Israeli prisons.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Throughout the conflict, the UK regularly raised our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of denial of access to legal counsel and family visits for Palestinian child detainees.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Throughout the conflict, the UK regularly raised our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about its compliance with international law, including the UN Convention on Rights of a Child, regarding prompt access to legal representation for detained Palestinian children.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Throughout the conflict, the UK regularly raised our concerns about Palestinian children in detention with the Israeli authorities. We continue to call on Israel to immediately facilitate urgent, unhindered access to all child detainees from the West Bank and Gaza to persons providing legal assistance, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and appropriate experts for the purposes of monitoring and reporting.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the main reasons provided to them by the government of Israel for the continued ban on international observers and international journalists from entering Gaza.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Journalists and media workers play an important role in sharing the devastating reality of war with the global public and the Government opposes all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists during conflicts. On 21 August, the UK joined a Media Freedom Coalition statement urging Israel to allow immediate media access to independent foreign media and afford protection for journalists working in Gaza.
Asked by: Baroness Sheehan (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about allowing unfettered access to Gaza to independent observers and international journalists.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
Journalists and media workers play an important role in sharing the devastating reality of war with the global public and the Government opposes all attempts to restrict press freedom and block entry to journalists during conflicts. On 21 August, the UK joined a Media Freedom Coalition statement urging Israel to allow immediate media access to independent foreign media and afford protection for journalists working in Gaza.