Ramallah, October 24, 2022—A 16-year-old Palestinian boy succumbed to his wounds last week after Israeli forces shot him near Ramallah in late September.
Mohammad Fadi Hani Nouri, 16, died on October 20 after Israeli forces shot him with live ammunition in the abdomen around 2:30 p.m. on September 28 near Israel’s Beit El checkpoint located near Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Mohammad was watching confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinians from about 50 meters (164 feet) away when Israeli forces shot him. An ambulance transferred Mohammad to Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah, where he was treated until he was pronounced dead around 10 a.m. on October 20.
“Israeli forces have killed seven Palestinian boys in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of October,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “There are no investigations, just Palestinian children being shot dead by Israeli soldiers that can do no wrong in a system that views all Palestinians as targets and unlawful killings are the norm.”
The bullet entered the right side of Mohammad’s abdomen and settled in his pelvis, according to information collected by DCIP. The bullet expanded on impact, severely damaging most of Mohammad’s internal organs. Doctors performed a 10-hour surgery to stop the bleeding.
Mohammad woke up the day after the surgery, but entered a coma shortly after and remained in the coma until he was pronounced dead on October 20.
Israeli forces have intensified arrest operations and incursions into Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank in recent months, leading to an increase in the number of Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the Israeli military launched its Operation “Break the Wave” on March 31, 2022.
Under international law, intentional lethal force is only justified in circumstances where a direct threat to life or of serious injury is present. However, investigations and evidence collected by DCIP regularly suggest that Israeli forces use lethal force against Palestinian children in circumstances that may amount to extrajudicial or wilful killings.
46 Palestinian children have been killed in 2022, according to documentation collected by DCIP, including 29 Palestinian children shot and killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank. DCIP documented the killing of 17 Palestinian children between August 5–7 after Israeli forces launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip. DCIP continues to investigate several incidents.
2021 was the deadliest year for Palestinian children since 2014. Israeli forces and armed civilians killed 78 Palestinian children, according to evidence collected by DCIP.
