Report: Israel killed 16 Palestinian children since start of 2019

Israeli occupation forces have killed 16 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank and besieged Gaza Strip since the start of 2019, Defence for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) said yesterday.

In a report, the rights group said 12 children were killed in Gaza and four in the occupied West Bank.

It accused the Israeli occupation forces of “using excessive force and explosive live ammunition against children aiming to kill or permanently maim them.”

OPINION: Israel and the assassination of Palestinian childhood

Israeli occupation forces, the DCIP report said, continue killing and maiming Palestinian children because of the lack of accountability, as well as the protection provided by the Israeli government.

DCIP, which is part of the coalition of the international defence movement for children, called on the UN secretary-general to include Israel in his annual report on children and armed struggle due to its “flagrant violations against children”.