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Israel killing one Palestinian child every two days in illegally occupied West Bank

September 11, 2024 at 2:51 pm

A woman walks with children as some Palestinians leave their homes as the Israeli forces’ raid on the city of Jenin in West Bank continues for the fifth day on September 1, 2024 [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency]

Twenty per cent of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the illegally occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 2000 have been killed after 7 October 2023, at a rate of one child every two days, a new report released by Defence for Children International has revealed.

The study, titled “Targeting Childhood: Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank”, covers the period from 7 October 2023 to 31 July 2024. It documents 141 Palestinian child fatalities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, raising grave concerns about the deliberate targeting of children and the systematic denial of medical care to injured minors.

Israel has already killed over 18,000 children in its military onslaught on Gaza. The death toll from the Israeli aggression, which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is plausible genocide, has exceeded 41,000, the overwhelming majority of whom are women and children.

“Israeli forces are killing Palestinian children with calculated brutality and cruelty all throughout the occupied Palestinian territory,” said Khaled Quzmar, general director at DCIP. “The international community must act urgently to enact an arms embargo and sanctions to protect Palestinian children’s lives.”

READ: Israel accused of using child as human shield during raid in occupied West Bank

The report’s findings paint a grim picture of the situation. According to DCIP, Israeli security forces and settlers shot and killed 116 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In addition, 25 Palestinian children lost their lives in aerial attacks, highlighting the use of disproportionate force in densely populated areas.

Particularly disturbing is the revelation that in 43 per cent of cases, Israeli forces deliberately prevented injured Palestinian children from receiving medical care, raising serious questions about compliance with international humanitarian law and the basic right to medical assistance.

The report also sheds light on the intensified incursions into Palestinian refugee camps, during which at least 49 Palestinian children were killed. Such operations, often conducted in densely populated areas, have resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread destruction.

Further compounding the tragedy, Israeli authorities have confiscated the bodies of 18 Palestinian children, a practice that violates international humanitarian and criminal law. This act not only denies families the right to mourn their loved ones properly, but also hinders independent investigations into the circumstances of these deaths

DCIP’s accountability programme director, Ayed Abu Eqtaish, highlighted the lack of accountability, stating, “Not a single person has been held accountable for the killing of these children, emboldening Israeli forces to continue killing with impunity.”

The report also notes the use of expanding bullets in some killings, which constitutes a war crime prosecutable at the International Criminal Court. Additionally, it highlights the systematic emboldening of Israeli settler violence towards Palestinian children, with Israeli forces often failing to prevent such aggression, and even collaborating with settlers.

A DCIP report in 2018 pointed out that a Palestinian child had been killed by a uniformed Israeli every three days, on average, since 2000. When the number of those killed over the past six years is taken into account, it means that Israel has killed, on average, two Palestinian children every day for the past 24 years, an astonishing and disgraceful statistic.

DCIP’s research methodology involves collecting affidavits from eyewitnesses in accordance with UN standards, seeking medical reports and CCTV footage when available, and confirming each child’s identity through official documentation. The organisation calls for urgent international action, including an arms embargo and sanctions, to protect Palestinian children’s lives.