NGO: Israeli army has killed 49 children since October

Defence for Children International yesterday accused the Israeli army of the intentional killing of Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territories, QudsNet reported.

The Israeli occupation army has killed more than 180 Palestinians since the start of the Jerusalem Intifada in October last year, including 49 children. Seventeen girls were among the children killed.

The organisation said: “Repeated killing and shooting of children by Israeli army, and preventing paramedics from offering medical aid to them is considered a form of extrajudicial killing.”

“Evasion from punishment” encourages Israeli soldiers to kill Palestinian children, noting that no “real” investigations are opened in the cases where Palestinians have been killed.

An official from the group reiterated that the official Israeli political echelon gave the army the green light to kill Palestinian children after the latest ratification of laws governing the use of arms.

He noted that in the past, Israeli soldiers were allowed to open fire only in dangerous situations, but now they are able to do so whenever they feel under threat.

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