Israeli forces ‘face no accountability for killing Palestinian children’, says report

A report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said that Israeli troops and border police face no accountability for killing Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank.

The non-governmental organisation said that up to August 22nd, Israeli forces had killed at least 34 West Bank Palestinian children in 2023. It urged the Israeli military and security forces to cease “unlawful use of lethal force” against all Palestinians. HRW associate children’s rights director Bill Van Esveld said: “Palestinian children live in a reality of apartheid and structural violence, where they could be gunned down at any time.” He said: “Unless Israel’s allies, particularly the United States, pressure Israel to change course, more Palestinian children will be killed.”

The United Nations has estimated that more than 200 Palestinians and 30 Israelis have been killed this year in “demonstrations, clashes, military operations, attacks and other incidents”.

In the report, HRW investigated the fatal shootings of four Palestinian youths by Israeli forces between November 2022 and March this year. They included Mahmoud al-Sadi (17), who was killed in Jenin while walking to school in November last year. The Israeli military said its forces had been conducting raids in the camp, and exchanged fire with Palestinian fighters. HRW claims the nearest exchange of fire occurred about 320m away from where Mahmoud al-Sadi was shot. Three other boys featured in the report, two aged 17 and one aged 15, were fatally shot in the back while running from anti-occupation protests involving Palestinian youths armed with stones and fireworks and helmeted and flak-jacketed Israeli forces.

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HRW said: “In all cases, Israeli forces shot the children’s upper bodies, without, according to witnesses, issuing warnings or using common, less-lethal measures such as tear gas, concussion grenades, or rubber-coated bullets.”

It quoted the Israeli liberal daily Haaretz, which wrote in January that since December 2021, “soldiers are allowed to shoot at Palestinians who are fleeing if they had previously thrown stones or Molotov cocktails”.

HRW said: “Israeli forces have used excessive force against Palestinians in policing situations for decades. The authorities have failed to hold their forces accountable.” It also cited the Israeli rights group Yesh Din, which reported that between 2017-2021 fewer than one per cent of complaints of Israeli violations against Palestinians have led to charges.

It called on UN secretary general Antonio Guterres to include Israel’s killing and maiming of Palestinian children in his 2023 list of grave violations against children. He has put Russia on the list, but not Israel.

The Israeli Government press office did not comment on the report.