Israeli forces on Thursday chased, assaulted, and detained a Palestinian child identified as Mahdi al-Arabi, who has Down syndrome.
In footage that has since been widely circulated on social media, four armed Israeli soldiers can be seen chasing and cornering Mahdi in the Shu’afat camp, located north of Jerusalem .
The child appears visibly distressed and frightened in the footage. The incident has since garnered international condemnation from activists and commentators.
Local sources reported that Mahdi was briefly detained, while his brother was beaten.
Dozens of social media users have slammed Israel’s actions, noting that Israeli forces have long targeted and detained children.
"Seeing the video of Israeli soldiers dragging & detaining Palestinian citizen with Down syndrome, Mahdi Al-Arabi, in the streets of the Shu'afat neighborhood in East Jerusalem yesterday reminded me of how other soldiers in Gaza left Mohammed Bahar, who also had Down Syndrome bleed to death after he was bitten by a military dog and then separated from his mother during the Gaza war," Palestinian writer Hamza Abu Howidy wrote on X.
Israeli forces chased, assaulted, and detained Mahdi al-Arabi, a Palestinian child with Down syndrome, in the Shu’afat camp north of Jerusalem today. Mahdi al-Arabi had run out of fear after seeing the soldiers running toward him.
It occurred amid one of the regular rains that… pic.twitter.com/wkecCiNX9O — The New Arab (@The_NewArab) May 1, 2026 "Those responsible for Mohamed's death were never brought to justice, and justice for Mahdi is not even a conversation, because this is simply life under Israeli military occupation," he added.
"Such barbarity has never been seen in world history, heavily armed Israeli soldiers are chasing a Palestinian child with Down syndrome, knocking him to the ground, dragging him on the ground, the child is so terrified that he doesn't know what to do, even the effort of a person running to save the child is not enough," another social media user wrote. Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023, there has been a sharp increase in Israeli assaults, detentions and raids targeting Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Last month, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) said that over 23,000 Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces since 2023.
The group said the figure includes people who were freed, then pursued and detained again.
According to the PPS, around 700 Palestinian women from Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel are held behind bars, while 1,800 children are also detained.
The detentions often come amid violent raids, beatings, intimidation, and harassment of individuals and their family members.
In many cases, the PPS says, Israeli forces will ransack the homes of Palestinians, vandalise property, and seize money and gold jewellery.