Ramallah, June 6, 2024—Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian boy riding a motorcycle during a military incursion into Jenin today.
Issa Nafez Mousa Jallad, 16, was riding on the back of a motorcycle driven by his friend Ibrahim Al-Saadi on the way to their homes in the eastern neighborhood of Jenin when Israeli soldiers in a heavily armored military vehicle pursued and fatally shot both of them around 5 p.m. on June 6, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli forces fired heavily toward both Issa and Ibrahim from a distance of no more than five meters (16 feet), causing them to fall off the motorcycle. Israeli forces approached and confirmed that their wounds were fatal before leaving the scene. Palestinian ambulances transported Issa and Ibrahim to Jenin Governmental Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival.
“Israeli forces routinely carry out massive military incursions into Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank and have repeatedly targeted young Palestinians in Jenin,” 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 Jenin.”
Issa sustained gunshot wounds to his leg, back, and back of the head, according to information collected by DCIP.
Israeli special forces infiltrated Jenin refugee camp around 4 p.m. using civilian vehicles. Armed Palestinians confronted Israeli forces after their presence was discovered. Israeli reinforcements, including many heavily armored military vehicles and several military bulldozers, arrived in Jenin and Jenin refugee camp shortly after, leading to armed confrontations in multiple areas.
Israeli forces in U.S.-sourced Apache attack helicopters also fired heavily in several locations in Jenin and Jenin refugee camp. Israeli forces withdrew two hours later, around 6 p.m.
During the military incursion, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians and injured at least nine others.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 49 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, including two United States citizens, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
130 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.
