Many children are arrested in the middle of the night from their homes. In some cases, children are also arrested close to settlements or roads used by the Israeli army and settlers, during clashes with the military, near the Wall, or at military checkpoints. The arrests are conducted by heavily armed soldiers during raids on villages and are usually described as terrifying. These night-time raids often occur within days of a stone-throwing incident directed at soldiers, military vehicles or vehicles used by settlers being reported.
Once a military convoy has entered a Palestinian village, pre-selected houses are surrounded and the occupants ordered to exit with their identity papers. The commanding officer will identify individuals for arrest from a pre-prepared list in his possession. Frequently no explanation or documentation is provided to the arrested person as to why they are being arrested or where they are being taken. Arrest warrants are almost never used. In the case of children, parents are mostly told that their child is “wanted” and will be returned “soon”. The arrest process is often accompanied by physical and verbal abuse, as well as damage to property during house searches.