Ramallah, December 27, 2024—Israeli forces have killed three Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in recent days.
Six-year-old Mohammad Yaser Ali Al-Rashaida was killed in the early morning hours of December 21 by unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind by Israeli forces in the Arab Al-Rashaida area, southeast of Bethlehem, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Mohammad was about 200 meters (656 feet) away from his father while they were grazing their sheep when his father heard a large explosion. His father ran to the scene and found Mohammad’s dismembered body. Mohammad suffered extensive injuries to his head, chest, abdomen, and limbs that killed him instantly.
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank on December 25: 17-year-old Rayan Hossam Mustafa Bani Odeh in Tammoun, south of Tubas, and 16-year-old Muhaimen Ayman Majed Akhras in Tulkarem refugee camp, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
“Between recklessly leaving behind UXOs and targeting children with drone strikes, Israeli forces have no limits in their efforts to destroy Palestinian childhood,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “No place is safe for Palestinian children as long as Israeli forces are permitted to kill children with impunity.”
Rayan, 17, was struck by an Israeli drone-fired missile while participating in confrontations against Israeli military forces which entered the Palestinian town of Tammoun, south of Tubas in the northern occupied West Bank, in the early morning hours of December 25, according to documentation collected by DCIP. The drone-fired missile targeted Rayan and his friend Omar Al-Sughairi, 16, while they were near the Khalid bin Al-Walid Mosque in the town center. A Palestinian ambulance transported them to Tubas Turkish Governmental Hospital where Rayan was pronounced dead around 8:45 p.m. after undergoing surgery in an attempt to save his life. Rayan sustained shrapnel wounds through his body, including deep wounds to his head, mouth, abdomen, and chest.
Omar, who sustained shrapnel wounds to the lower half of his body, was transferred to Al-Arabi Specialized Hospital in Nablus, where he remains in critical condition.
Muhaimen, 16, was killed in an Israeli drone strike in Tulkarem refugee camp, located in the northern occupied West Bank, around 2:45 p.m. on December 25, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Muhaimen was participating in armed confrontations against Israeli forces which entered Tulkarem refugee camp around 1 a.m. The drone-fired missile killed Muhaimen alongside three young men and injured five Palestinian civilians.
The victims were transported to Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarem, where Muhaimen was pronounced dead on arrival. Muhaimen sustained shrapnel wounds and burns across his body.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 93 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, including two United States citizens, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
174 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023 according to documentation collected by DCIP, when the Israeli military began a full-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip.
