Ramallah, June 4, 2024—Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian boys near Jericho.
16-year-old Ahmad Ashraf Walid Hmaidat and 17-year-old Mohammad Mousa "Mohammad Nabil" al-Beitar were killed on June 1 by Israeli forces in the southern neighborhood of Aqbat Jabr camp, near Jericho in the occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. They were carrying stones while heading toward a parking square for cars confiscated from Palestinians, and they discovered that there were Israeli forces behind the cars from a distance of 50 to 80 meters (164 to 262 feet) away when they were shot around 6:30 p.m. on June 1 in Aqbat Jabr refugee camp.
“Systemic impunity creates an ultra permissive context where Israeli forces know no bounds and routinely shoot to kill Palestinian children in circumstances where there is no imminent threat to life,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Unlawful killings of Palestinian children have become the norm as Israeli forces become increasingly empowered to use intentional lethal force in situations that are not justified. In short, these are war crimes with no consequence.”
Ahmad Ashraf Walid Hmaidat, 16, was struck with a bullet in the back which exited from the chest. Mohammad Mousa "Mohammad Nabil" Al-Beitar, 17, was struck with a bullet in the head from behind.
Israeli forces transported their bodies after killing them to an unknown destination. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society crews received the body of Ahmed Hmaidat from the Israeli side around 9 p.m. on June 1 at the same square used for parking, while they received the body of Mohammad Al-Beitar around 1:30 p.m. on June 2 at one of the Israeli military checkpoints near the city of Jerusalem.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 48 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, including two United States citizens, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
129 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.