Ramallah, October 9, 2022—Israeli forces shot and killed a 17-year-old Palestinian boy in the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday.
Mahmoud Moayad Mahmoud Sous, 17, was shot and killed by Israeli forces around 10 a.m. on October 8 at an entrance to Jenin refugee camp, in the northern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Mahmoud allegedly threw a homemade explosive device toward an Israeli military vehicle deployed about 20 meters (65 feet) away during confrontations with Israeli forces, and then sustained two gunshot wounds to the neck and right thigh. Both bullets struck Mahmoud from behind, according to a medical report. An ambulance rushed Mahmoud to Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin where he was pronounced dead.
“Palestinian children live in a hyper-militarized context where Israeli military incursions into Palestinian communities to arrest and intimidate Palestinian civilians is the norm,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “During these incursions, 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.”
Israeli forces carried out an incursion into Jenin refugee camp and several nearby neighborhoods around 8:30 a.m. on October 8. As a result, confrontations between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian residents ensued, including near Al-Awda roundabout, which is the entrance to Jenin refugee camp where Mahmoud was killed.
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.
43 Palestinian children have been killed in 2022, according to documentation collected by DCIP, including 26 Palestinian children shot and killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank. DCIP documented the killing of 17 Palestinian children between August 5–7 after Israeli forces launched a military offensive in the Gaza Strip. DCIP continues to investigate several incidents.
2021 was the deadliest year for Palestinian children since 2014. Israeli forces and armed civilians killed 78 Palestinian children, according to evidence collected by DCIP.
