Ramallah, May 23, 2024—Israeli forces killed two Palestinian children yesterday during a military incursion into Jenin.
Wasim Ahed Mahmoud Jaradat, 16, was shot and killed by an Israeli sniper around 8 p.m. on May 22 on Haifa Street in the western side of Jenin city, located in the northern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Wasim was allegedly carrying homemade explosive devices and waiting for the passage of Israeli military vehicles. An Israeli sniper targeted Wasim with a bullet and struck him in the head. The child was transported by a Palestinian ambulance to Ibn Sina Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Mahmoud Fares Mahmoud Al-Qurini, 16, was shot and killed by Israeli forces around 8:30 p.m. on May 22 on a bypass road close to Jenin Governmental Hospital, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Mahmoud was standing beside a group of youths who were throwing homemade explosive devices toward a group of Israeli military vehicles. Mahmoud and a group of young Palestinians were chased by two Israeli military vehicles. The youths managed to escape while Mahmoud, accompanied by another child, entered the garden of a neglected house.
A number of soldiers approached the two children and opened fire on them. An Israeli soldier targeted Mahmoud with several bullets and struck him in the head, chest, abdomen, and foot, where the second child sustained gunshot wounds to his lower extremities. Israeli forces obstructed the movement of ambulances while the children lay wounded on the ground. After about 15 minutes, they were transported by a Palestinian ambulance to Jenin Governmental Hospital, where Mahmoud was pronounced dead on arrival and the other child was treated for his injuries.
“Israeli forces carried out a massive military incursion into Jenin this week, killing four Palestinian children and injuring several others,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces routinely resort to intentional lethal force in situations not justified under international law and make no effort to impartially investigate or ensure that Israeli soldiers act in accordance with international standards. Instead, all Palestinians, including children, are considered targets.”
A large-scale Israeli military force entered Jenin on May 21 around 8 a.m and ended at 12 a.m. on May 23. During the 40 hours of Israeli military incursion into Jenin, Israeli forces deployed across the city and Jenin refugee camp, seizing Palestinian homes to use as military bases and stationing snipers on the roofs of buildings.
Many students were unable to evacuate from schools and reach their homes until after the end of the military operation. Some of them took refuge in hospitals and the homes of teachers and educators.
Many families were forced to flee outside the camp. The incursion has resulted in the killing of 12 Palestinians, including four children, in addition to the injury of 30 Palestinians, three of whom were described as seriously injured, including two children.
Israeli forces shot and killed two 15-year-old Palestinian boys during the first day of the incursion into Jenin, Mahmoud Amjad Ismail Hamadneh and Osama Mohammad Naim Abdulatif Hujair.
Israeli forces besieged several hospitals in Jenin and impeded the movement of ambulances and paramedics. Israeli military bulldozers destroyed civilian infrastructure in Jenin refugee camp and several neighborhoods throughout the city. The damage caused electricity, water, and internet outages in parts of the camp, according to Wafa.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 45 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, including two United States citizens, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
126 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.
