A UN human rights body has condemned Israel's treatment of Palestinian children. A new report has accused Israeli forces of torturing Palestinian children and using them as human shields.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed in its report Thursday its "deepest concern about the reported practice of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian children arrested, prosecuted and detained by the military and the police."

Palestinian children are routinely arrested, hands tied painfully and blindfolded during nighttime sweeps by Israeli soldiers, the report said. Authorities also often transfer the youngsters to detention centers without informing their parents.