Ramallah, March 7, 2025— In Gaza, Palestinian children have experienced unimaginable suffering as Israeli forces continue to intentionally target children with deadly attacks, even after the truce agreement took effect.
Violations against Palestinian children in Gaza have reached a level of severity that can be classified as grave violations of international law, threatening children’s most basic right to life.
Systematic Targeting of Children
Defense for Children International - Palestine has collected numerous cases of children being directly targeted by Israeli snipers with live ammunition, part of a series of immoral and inhumane methods within the framework of the crime of genocide intentionally utilized by Israeli forces in Gaza.
17-year-old Mesaad Al-Ghouleh was killed by bullets fired by a U.S.-sourced Apache attack helicopter while attempting to access food aid on March 30, 2024, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Similarly and in the same area, Israeli snipers shot and killed 14-year-old Naser Aldeen Selmi, in the head and chest while searching for food in the Industrial area in Gaza City on March 25, 2024.
While searching for drinking water, 17-year-old Fehmi Akilah was shot in the back with six bullets fired by an attack helicopter, west of Gaza City on December 24, 2023. He remained lying on the ground for an hour because ambulances were unable to reach the place due to the intensity of the random shooting. When he arrived at Al-Shifa Hospital, he was not treated immediately due to the lack of medical staff, which caused severe bleeding in his lungs, which led to his death five days later.
Targeting Shelters
Palestinian children and their families are targeted even while taking refuge in shelters, including schools. Such structures are protected under international law and cannot be considered military targets, with additional protections for cultural buildings such as schools. Despite this, Israeli forces systematically target such structures, endangering the civilians within them.
Six-year-old Mohammad Abu Al-Atta was killed after taking refuge at Gaza Girl’s School, east of Gaza City on March 25, 2024, according to documentation collected by DCIP. While playing in the schoolyard, he was shot in the head by an Israeli quadcopter. Despite being transferred to a hospital, the necessary medical equipment was not available and he died two hours later. 17-year-old Nabil Al-Suwafiri was injured by several bullets and shrapnel in the chest and legs, killing him on December 22, 2023, while taking refuge with his family in the Islamic University, west of Gaza City.
In another incident, ten-year-old Yasmine Al-Fayoumi was injured when an Israeli quadcopter fired two bullets at her while she was sheltering in Abdel Fattah Hamouda School in Gaza City on March 23, 2024, striking her foot and hand as she played in the schoolyard. Similarly, seven-year-old Sarah Sukar was shot multiple times by an Israeli quadcopter while playing in the yard of Khalil Al-Wazir School, west of Gaza City on January 27, 2024. Several displaced civilians were injured during that same attack, which occurred in broad daylight at the school previously declared a safe zone. Sarah was transferred to Al-Shifa Hospital and later to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, where she continues to receive treatment for shrapnel injuries in her chest.
Other cases highlight the devastating impact of these attacks on children seeking safety in shelters. 16-year-old Hassan Al-Khudari was shot in his leg by an Israeli quadcopter, while trying to protect himself with his family in a UNRWA sheltering school in Gaza city on January 17, 2024. Similarly, 16-year-old Raghad Ashraf Sakher Farhat was injured by an Israeli sniper, while her sister 13-year-old Rawan was injured by shrapnel from bombardment by Israeli warplanes at Shujaiya School, east of Gaza City on December 12, 2023.
Civilians trapped in the school endured a week of attacks before attempting a nighttime escape to nearby hospitals. These incidents, involving deliberate targeting of educational facilities and displaced civilians, underscore Israel’s systematic policy of targeting children, violating international law, and eradicating civilian life.
Deception and the Targeting of Civilians
Israeli forces routinely employ a policy of deception to target civilians and children. Despite declaring certain areas as "safe zones,” Israeli forces systematically breach these assurances, targeting civilians who had sought refuge in those locations.
In one case, 17-year-old Mahmoud Ararir was fatally shot in the chest by a quadcopter drone while walking in the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City on December 8, 2023. According to his father, residents believed the Israeli forces had withdrawn from the area, but discovered them stationed at Hattin School, which they had converted into a military base.
In another incident, two-year-old Hani Azzam was shot and killed by an Israeli tank in the Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City on December 4, 2023, after his family had been permitted to leave the area under the guise of safety by the Israeli military. Hani was shot in the chest and shoulder as he stepped ahead of his family to reach their car.
These systematic attacks on children and civilians constitute flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and highlight the intention of Israeli forces to brutally exterminate the next generations of Palestinians.
Under international law, a child is any person under the age of 18, and children are entitled to special protections as outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. Israel, as a state party to the CRC, is obligated to “ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development” of children.
Contrary to the provisions of international law relating to the duties and obligations of an occupying power, Israeli forces deploy excessive, disproportionate, and unjustified intentional lethal force toward Palestinian children in violation of international humanitarian law, international criminal law, and international human rights law, amounting to unlawful killings that constitute war crimes and extrajudicial killings.
