Ramallah, November 25, 2024—Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian boy in Jenin yesterday.
Mohammad Rabi' Jamil Hamarsheh, 16, was shot and killed by Israeli forces yesterday around 10 p.m. near the Zaid Al-Kilani family's council in the northern neighborhood of the Palestinian town of Yabad, west of Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Mohammad was shot multiple times by an Israeli soldier positioned inside a heavily armored Israeli military vehicle from a distance of about 40 to 50 meters (131 to 164 feet) away.
“Israeli forces shot Mohammad deliberately, waited until he fell to the ground, then blocked paramedics from reaching him until they were confident he bled out,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “The United States must stop sending weapons to the Israeli military that are used to kill Palestinian children without restraint, whether in Gaza or the West Bank.”
Mohammad was struck by four bullets in the face, specifically in the mouth, one in his right hand, one in his back, and one in his left foot. The bullet to his back exited through the left side of his chest, causing a visible tear in the chest area.
Following the incident, Israeli forces moved toward Mohammad, where he had fallen. The soldiers observed him for approximately 15 minutes, preventing the ambulance from accessing the scene. Only after confirming the death of Mohammad did the soldiers permit the Ya'bad Municipality ambulance to approach. Mohammad was transported to the Yabad Governmental Emergency Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The Israeli forces roamed through Yabad, firing heavily during clashes and confrontations with Palestinian youths, before withdrawing from the town around 11 p.m. During the incursion, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians, including Mohammad.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 89 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, including two United States citizens, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
170 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, according to documentation collected by DCIP, when the Israeli military began a full-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip.
In 2023, Israeli forces and settlers killed at least 121 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Israeli forces and settlers shot and killed 103 Palestinian children with live ammunition, 13 Palestinian children were killed in drone strikes, four Palestinian children were killed by missiles fired from a U.S.-sourced Apache attack helicopter, and one child was killed in an Israeli warplane airstrike.
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.
