Israeli forces and security guards have killed more Palestinian children in West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2016 than any other year in the last decade, a report by Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) said.
According to the report, Israeli forces have killed 32 Palestinian children, making 2016 deadliest year of the past decade for West Bank children.
19 children out of the 32 were between the ages of 16 and 17 while 13 were in the age group of 13 to 15 years old. Most of them were killed during Israeli military raids on Palestinian towns or confrontation with the Israeli army.
“Israeli forces have increasingly used excessive force to squash demonstrations since 2014,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program director at DCIP, said in a statement. “Intentional lethal force now appears to be routinely used by Israeli forces, even in unjustified situations, with no accountability, putting more and more children at risk,” he added.
Since October 2015, Israeli soldiers and settlers have been responsible for the killing of at least 244 Palestinians, including unarmed demonstrators, Al Jazeera reported.
An internal army document obtained and released by Israel Radio on October 25 stated that approximately 50 Palestinians threw stones and rolled burning tires toward the settlement. Israeli soldiers responded with live rounds, rubber-coated metal bullets, and tear gas.
Accountability for shootings by Israeli forces is extremely rare. Only one incident since 2014 has resulted in an indictment, the report said.
81 Palestinian children were injured in 2016. In most of the cases, Israeli forces prevented the paramedics from approaching children who had sustained gunshot wounds.
