Ramallah, April 22, 2024—Israeli forces killed three Palestinian children during a military incursion into Nour Shams refugee camp that lasted more than two days.
Jihad Nyaz Naser Zandiq, 15, Ali Mohammad Ali Abdullah, 17, and Qais Fathi Ibrahim Nasrullah, 14, were killed by Israeli forces on April 19 during a 54-hour military incursion into Nour Shams refugee camp, near Tulkarem in the northern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli forces shot Jihad and Qais with live ammunition while shrapnel from an Israeli-fired shell killed Ali. Israeli forces deliberately blocked Palestinian ambulances from reaching wounded Palestinians for the entire duration of the military incursion.
“The Israeli military invasion into Nour Shams refugee camp marks the deadliest days in the occupied West Bank since the Second Intifada,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces viciously targeted Palestinian children with deadly force and destroyed civilian infrastructure throughout the camp, amounting to collective punishment in violation of international law.”
15-year-old Jihad Zandiq was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier around 3 p.m. on April 19 from a distance of about 30 to 40 meters (98 to 131 feet) while he was exiting his uncle’s home in the Zandiq neighborhood of Nour Shams refugee camp, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Jihad and his uncle were in the house when a group of armed Palestinians arrived. Israeli forces surrounded the house and ordered everyone to exit the house. Jihad and a Palestinian man walked out of the house with their hands raised, shouting that they were civilians. Israeli forces shot and killed both of them, and Jihad’s body laid on the ground for about 17 hours afterward. A neighbor managed to pull Jihad’s body into his house until Israeli forces withdrew from Nour Shams refugee camp.
17-year-old Ali Abdullah was struck by shrapnel from Israeli-fired shells around 5 p.m. on April 19 as he and another young man attempted to leave the Zandiq neighborhood of Nour Shams refugee camp, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Ali, who was allegedly participating in confrontations with Israeli forces, sustained burns and shrapnel wounds to his face and chest. His body laid on the ground until Israeli forces withdrew from Nour Shams refugee camp.
14-year-old Qais Nasrullah was shot by Israeli forces around 5:30 p.m. on April 19 while he was standing with a group of civilians near the Megaland roundabout in an area of Tulkarem where there were no confrontations between armed Palestinians and Israeli forces, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Qais was struck with a bullet that entered the left side of his chest and exited from the right side under his armpit that was fired by an Israeli soldier inside a heavily armored Israeli military vehicle from a distance of about 300 meters (984 feet). A private vehicle brought Qais to Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarem, where doctors attempted to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead minutes after arriving.
Israeli military forces entered Nour Shams refugee camp around 5:30 p.m. on April 18 from the Tzununa crossing, Jabara checkpoint, Anab checkpoint, and the illegal Israeli settlement of Avnei Hefetz located west of Tulkarem. Israeli forces besieged several Palestinian homes in the main square of Nour Shams refugee camp and in the Manshiya neighborhood, when armed Palestinians confronted Israeli forces. Israeli military reinforcements arrived, including three bulldozers, which completely sealed off the camp.
Israeli forces withdrew about 54 hours later, around 10 p.m. on April 20. During the incursion, Israeli forces destroyed the camp’s roads, civilian infrastructure, and many homes. The damage caused electricity, water, and internet outages in parts of the camp. Israeli forces also took over many Palestinian homes and used them as military bases, barracks, and observation points. Israeli forces blocked Palestinian ambulances from entering Nour Shams refugee camp for the entire duration of the military incursion.
During the incursion, Israeli forces arrested dozens of Palestinians, injured at least 25, and killed 14 people, including Jihad, Ali, and Qais.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 39 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, including two United States citizens, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
120 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.
