"Most of the children were shot in the head or body," the report said
In September, Defense for Children, an international child protection organization, released a report on Palestinian children killed since October 7 in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli army and Israeli settlers.
Key facts presented in the report:
Israeli snipers are deliberately targeting unarmed children and firing live ammunition. 141 Palestinian children were killed between October 7, 2023 and July 31, 2024 in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
Of the 141 children killed by the Israelis, 116 were shot directly in the head or body, and 18 were shot in the back, "a clear indication that the child did not pose a threat to Israeli soldiers."
20% of Palestinian children executed since 2000 were killed after October 7. A child dies every two days in the West Bank.
Israeli troops and officials fire live ammunition at ambulances and routinely deny Palestinian children their right to medical care by preventing bystanders from providing medical care to children injured in Israeli airstrikes.
The Israeli government and forces routinely, deliberately and purposefully support Israeli settler violence against Palestinian children. Israeli troops are often present during armed attacks by Israeli settlers, but they do not prevent aggression. Twice, Israeli soldiers and settlers fired at Palestinian children at the same time.
Israeli forces killed 25 Palestinian children in airstrikes in the occupied West Bank. Some children were directly targeted, while others were indirectly targeted.
In October 2023, Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinian children with hollow-point bullets designed to increase the diameter of the soft tissue wound, a war crime prosecuted by the International Court of Justice.
Israeli authorities have confiscated 18 bodies of Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 7, 2023. The confiscation and storage of corpses is a violation of international humanitarian law and international criminal law.
The Israeli government is working to ensure that soldiers go unpunished and face no consequences for the extrajudicial killing of Palestinian children: "There is no indication of accountability for this period under investigation."
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