Israeli forces shoot dead 4 Palestinian children in West bank

Israeli forces have shot dead four Palestinian children in the Occupied West Bank in the past 24 hours, according to the Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCIP).

The victims include 16-year-old Ahmad Mohammad Hamed Abu Al-Haija, 17-year-old Mahmoud Khaled Mahmoud Abu Al-Haija and 14-year-old Ammar Mohammad Faisal Abu Al-Wafa, who were killed during an Israeli military operation in Jenin on Saturday evening.

At approximately 6:30 pm on 25 November, Ammar was shot in the abdomen by an Israeli sniper positioned approximately 200 to 250 metres. The incident occurred as Ammar stood with a group of friends near his residence in the Al-Damj neighbourhood of Jenin refugee camp. Ammar’s father rushed him to Al-Razi Hospital, where he was declared dead upon arrival.

Simultaneously, Ahmad was documenting the Israeli military raid with his cell phone when a soldier, stationed inside a heavily armoured military vehicle, shot him in the chest near the cinema roundabout in the centre of Jenin. Moreover, Israeli forces opened fire on the group accompanying Ahmad, resulting in multiple injuries. Ahmad was transported by ambulance to Al-Razi Hospital, where he, too, was pronounced dead upon arrival.

Ayed Abu Eqtaish, the Accountability Programme Director at DCIP, said, “While there is a so-called truce with Palestinian armed groups in Gaza, Israeli forces continue to target and kill Palestinian children throughout the Occupied West Bank with complete impunity.”

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He added, “In just the last 24 hours, Israeli forces have shot and killed four Palestinian boys in the Occupied West Bank, including one who was standing inside his own home, and prevented paramedics from reaching them to provide medical care. As a result, all four boys were dead on arrival when they reached the hospital.”

According to DCIP, Mahmoud was also shot in the abdomen while standing at a window in his house in the Al-Zahra neighbourhood, south of Jenin refugee camp. An Israeli sniper fired the shot, before Israeli forces raided his family home, during which they confiscated his phone and identity card. Despite his father’s call for an ambulance, Israeli soldiers delayed paramedics outside the building for about 40 minutes.

When the ambulance finally reached Mahmoud, it transported him to Al-Razi Hospital, where he was declared dead.

On Saturday, the Israeli forces conducted a ground and aerial incursion into Jenin from 6 pm to 6:30 am the next day. The military besieged Jenin Governmental Hospital, leading to attacks against Palestinians, resulting in five Palestinians, including three children, being killed. Mohammad Riad Fathi Saleh Farhan, 15, was shot in the stomach by Israeli forces in Al-Bireh, near Ramallah in the central Occupied West Bank.

Despite efforts to reach him, Israeli forces obstructed a Palestinian ambulance for about 45 minutes; however, once the ambulance arrived at Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, doctors pronounced Mohammad dead on arrival.

While the Israeli army heavily bombards the blockaded Gaza Strip, raids are also being carried out in the West Bank and Occupied East Jerusalem, resulting in the detention of Palestinians.

More than 220 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli forces in the West Bank since 7 October in addition to over 2,800 others who were injured, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Documentation collected by DCIP reveals that at least 100 Palestinian children in the Occupied West Bank have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers this year.

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