Ramallah, October 12, 2023—Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian boy in the southern occupied West Bank last night.
Mo’nes Rebhi Mousa Zeidat, 16, was shot in the chest by Israeli forces around 8:15 p.m. on October 11 in the Palestinian town of Bani Naim, east of Hebron in the southern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Mo’nes was transferred first to the Red Crescent Center in Bani Naim before an ambulance transferred him to Al-Mizan hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 9:15 p.m.
“Palestinian children live in a hyper-militarized context where Israeli soldiers regularly target Palestinian children at protests with live ammunition,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces have increasingly targeted Palestinian children at demonstrations with live ammunition despite the overwhelming majority of Palestinian children posing no threat to Israeli forces when they were killed.”
Seven Palestinian children have been shot and killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, when the Israeli military began a full-scale assault on the Gaza Strip dubbed Operation Iron Swords.
Israeli forces shot and killed a 12-year-old Ahmad Abdulnaser Adnan Rabi around 7 p.m. on October 7 near the Israeli-controlled Eyal crossing near the occupied Palestinian city of Qalqilya.
On October 8, Israeli forces shot and killed Yousef Nader Suleiman Idris, 16, around 7 p.m. on October 8 during confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth in the occupied Palestinian city of Hebron. Yousef was around 150 meters (492 feet) away from Israeli soldiers in the Wadi al-Nasara area near the illegal Jewish-only settlement of Kiryat Arba when Israeli forces fired heavily at a group of stone-throwing Palestinian youth.
Imad Jareh Majed Adaily, 16, was shot and killed with live ammunition by Israeli forces around 11:30 p.m. on October 8 during confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth in the occupied Palestinian town of Beita, located southeast of Nablus.
Yaser Thaer Sami Kasba, 17, was shot and killed with live ammunition by Israeli forces around 9 p.m. on October 8 near the Israeli military-controlled Qalandia checkpoint located between Jerusalem and Ramallah. Later, Israeli forces killed 17-year-old Adam Amjad Fathi Al-Julani with live ammunition around 4 a.m. as confrontations between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth at Qalandia checkpoint continued into the early morning on October 9.
Obada Sa’ed Awad Abu Srour, 17, was shot in the back around 3 p.m. on October 11 in the Palestinian village of Qusra, southeast of Nablus in the northern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. At least seven armed Israeli settlers from the nearby Esh Kodesh settlement, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, entered the village of Qusra and attacked a Palestinian family’s home. Palestinians confronted the group of Israeli settlers and soldiers, who fired live ammunition indiscriminately at Palestinians. A bullet struck Obada in the back and exited his chest. He was transferred to Salfit Government Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. It is unclear whether the fatal bullet was fired by an Israeli settler or soldier.
So far this year, Israeli forces and settlers have shot and killed at least 46 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Israeli forces killed one additional Palestinian child with a targeted drone strike in the occupied West Bank.
At least 26 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since October 7, according to UN OCHA.
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.
