Background of the Arrest

Osaid Mahfouz was arrested at dawn on December 19, 2024, after Israeli occupation forces besieged his home in Askar Camp. According to his father, Mr. Khalil Mahfouz, the family woke up to the sounds of soldiers violently knocking on the door. They opened it immediately for fear of a break-in. The soldiers raided the rooms, woke all family members, then entered Osaid’s room, who was awake at the time, and took him to the living room. They took his ID and informed the family of the arrest. The family told the soldiers that Osaid was receiving treatment for a serious injury, but they refused to allow him to take his medication. After about an hour of searching, the occupation forces took him to the military jeeps parked outside the house without restraining him.

Later, the family learned through human rights organizations that Osaid had been transferred to Huwara Detention Center near Nablus and then to Magiddo Prison (Section 5) for minors, three days after his arrest. During a lawyer visit months later, Osaid reported being beaten on his amputated leg inside the military jeeps during transport.

Injury

On August 28, 2024, during clashes in Askar Refugee Camp, Osaid Mahfouz was seriously injured by explosive devices and grenades fired by the Israeli army at close range. The injury caused severing of the main vein in his left leg, requiring immediate transfer first to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus and then to Nablus Specialized Hospital. He underwent surgery lasting until the early hours of the morning, receiving over 40 blood units due to severe bleeding.

The following day, he experienced further bleeding, forcing doctors to amputate his left leg above the knee to save his life. He also suffered second-degree burns on his chest, abdomen, and underarm areas. Osaid stayed in the intensive care unit for four days in a coma, then remained in the hospital for more than two weeks before beginning a long treatment journey, including wound cleaning, and continuous medication.

Legal Status

On December 31, 2024, the military commander of the area issued an administrative detention order against Osaid for six months, ending on June 18, 2025, without any clear charges. During the judicial review session held at Ofer Military Court on January 6, 2025, before Military Judge Barak Tamir, the military prosecution claimed that Osaid posed a threat to the area’s security, citing confidential intelligence gathered since November 2023, and requested the military judges to confirm the administrative detention order for the whole period.

The defense lawyer requested reinvestigation and alternatives to administrative detention, highlighting Osaid’s critical health condition and immobility due to his injuries, noting that he was unable to receive proper treatment in prison.

The military judge reviewed the confidential materials and on February 5, 2025, confirmed the six-month administrative detention, justifying the decision by the lack of sufficient evidence to file formal charges and considering administrative detention as "the most appropriate measure."

Osaid’s case highlights the complicity of the Israeli military court in administrative detention cases and its disregard for his health as a minor with severe physical disabilities. It also raises a critical question: if the "confidential materials" were collected since 2023, why was his arrest delayed for a full year? Later, after the first order ended, the occupation authorities renewed Osaid’s administrative detention for another six months, ending on November 17, 2025, and rejected his lawyer’s appeal.

Health and Prison Treatment

According to family and lawyer reports, Osaid does not receive proper medical care in prison and is given only basic painkillers, despite repeated requests by lawyers and Physicians for Human Rights organization to monitor his condition.

Recent legal visits indicate that Osaid suffers severe back pain, has been beaten multiple times on his amputated leg during prison suppression operations, resulting in a protrusion of the bone. He still requires treatment for unhealed burns and was recently diagnosed with scabies, without receiving proper treatment or regular medical follow-up.

Visits

Since the beginning of the Israeli aggression against Palestinians on October 2023, the occupation authorities have prevented Palestinian families from visiting their children in prison. Osaid’s family has not been able to see or communicate directly with him, except for limited lawyer visits or closed trial sessions via video, attended only by his lawyer, preventing accurate monitoring of his physical and psychological condition.

Magiddo Prison and Detention Conditions

Minors in Magiddo Prison suffer systematic abuse by special prison units, including repeated physical assaults and deliberate medical neglect. Lawyers report widespread skin diseases, especially scabies, as well as systematic starvation, lack of clothing, and poor hygiene. Osaid shows extreme thinness and severe fatigue due to malnutrition. Eight prisoners have died in Magiddo due to torture and ill-treatment, medical neglect, and poor detention conditions, including 17-year-old minor Walid Khalid, who died in March 2025. The initial autopsy report attributed the deaths to starvation, disease, and medical neglect.

Osaid Mahfouz’s case highlights severe violations against Palestinian children in Israeli prisons, including arbitrary administrative detention, deliberate medical neglect, physical and psychological torture, and deprivation of visits and healthcare. It demonstrates that the occupation authorities use administrative detention as a tool to punish Palestinian children and their families amid judicial silence and international inaction in holding Israeli authorities accountable for these crimes.