West Bank, Palestinian child killed, four injured in the past two weeks

Humanitarian personnel taking a child to an ambulance, Gaza, 2018  Humanitarian personnel taking a child to an ambulance, Gaza, 2018 Virginie NGUYEN HOANG/Hans Lucas/AFP

04 December 2020

Children are being severely injured or killed in the West Bank, even if it is strictly forbidden under international humanitarian law

 On December 4, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy was killed in the West Bank in the State of Palestine, and four other boys aged 15-16 were severely injured in the past weeks. These children reported severe injuries in the chest, head and eyes and one of them has lost his eye. According to the United Nations, from January to September 2020 there were at least 232 incidents involving the injury of Palestinian children. 

According to the local non-governmental organization Defense for Children Palestine (DCIP), eight Palestinian children were killed in 2020 as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israeli and Palestinian forces. The victims were all aged between 13 and 17. Moreover, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), as of August 31 2020 Israel was detaining 185 Palestinian children. HRW has also received reports of abuses committed by Israeli forces against detained children. 

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) keeps receiving reports of the use of force against children, which is strictly forbidden under international humanitarian law. Therefore, the humanitarian agency urges Israeli authorities to fully respect and fulfil the rights of children and stop any violence against them, in accordance with international law. However, as UNICEF has underlined, the Palestinian authorities should also intervene and prevent children from being exposed to violence. 

 

To read more, please visit:

https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/palestinian-child-killed-and-four-severely-injured-west-bank-past-two-weeks

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/6/may-god-give-us-patience-palestinians-mourn-minor-killed

https://www.dci-palestine.org/child_fatalities_by_month

https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/israel/palestine 

 

Author: Margherita Curti; Editor: Matteo Consiglio

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