FIVE PALESTINIAN CHILDREN KILLED OR INJURED ON AVERAGE EVERY DAY IN THE WEST BANK SINCE OCTOBER

Destruction following a raid by Israeli forces in Tulkarem Camp, occupied West Bank, oPT. [East Jerusalem YMCA/ Save the Children]

 RAMALLAH, 17 September 2024 – The number of children killed or injured by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank has more than doubled since last October, with 158 killed, at least 1 ,400 injured, and concerns of further casualties with a significant escalation of violence in the past six weeks, Save the Children said.  

The latest data showed that 115 children were fatally shot between 7 October and 14 August – treble the amount from the preceding 10 months. Others have been killed in airstrikes and drone attacks.

With total child casualties of 1,558, this means on average five children have been killed or injured per day since October. Save the Children is calling on the international community to take decisive actions to ensure accountability for violations against children and demanding an immediate end to excessive force against civilians—especially children—in the West Bank. 

The latest call for action comes after a surge in violence in the West Bank since October 2023 further escalated in August with the increased use of airstrikes, and the launch of “Operation Summer Camps" across towns and cities which the Israeli military said aimed to dismantle Palestinian resistance groups. 

An estimated 70 people, including 10 children, have been killed since the start of August, according to the Ministry of Health, with more than half of those killed since the start of the military operation on 28 August. 

Child deaths in September according to the UN have included a widely reported incident on 5 September when Israeli forces shot and injured a 16-year-old boy in Tubas in the northern West Bank who was then refused medical treatment and shot again fatally before his body was dragged away by a bulldozer. 

Save the Children said the increase in violence was obstructing aid delivery, by hindering movement of humanitarian staff, cutting communication channels and electricity supplies, and blocking access to families in areas under attack. This included Tulkarem refugee camp with Save the Children forced to cancel planned operations on 11 September due to a second Israeli military incursion. 

This escalation, condemned by The UN Human Rights Office, highlights a sustained and alarming level of force and war-like tactics in an area which, under international humanitarian law, is not an armed conflict. Permissible use of force is severely restricted in non-conflict settings.   

Dalia*, 12, from Tulkarem refugee camp, described the impact of the raids:  

“On the second day of the raid, I felt a lot of fear because of the airstrikes and shootings. By the third day, I was even more scared because the Israeli forces raided our home. They barged in, screaming, and my mum tried to speak to them, but they swarmed the house and searched every room. We were so afraid of them. 

 “There is no safety for us. At any moment they might come back and at any moment they go – we don’t know.” 

Tulkarem refugee camp was raided a second time the day after Dalia* was interviewed. 

Dalia’s mother Hind* added that during the raid, the family were cut off from all food supplies, water, bread, and electricity. She said: 

“They [Israeli forces] gathered at night, began the raid, and stayed a long time here and raided our home, terrorising the kids, separating them, frightening them.   

“They blew up the door. My little girl couldn’t control herself and wet herself. Dalia* was standing, shaking in the corner. They pointed their guns at me and instructed me to go downstairs without taking anything. 

“The children are constantly afraid, deprived of the simplest things. Their mental health is deteriorating. These children deserve better. They deserve to be children, not to live in constant fear of raids and shootings.” 

As well as the escalation in violence in the West Bank, since last October there has been an increase in the arbitrary arrest, detention and abuse of children in the Israeli military detention system, more forced displacement of families, demolition of homes, and a sharp rise in violent attacks by Israeli settlers.   

Jeremy Stoner, Save the Children’s Middle East Regional Director, said: 

“These actions are not isolated incidents; they are part of a trend of increasing Israeli military operations and use of force that are systematically eroding the safety, security, and fundamental rights of Palestinian children, who are paying the highest price in this escalating violence. Every day, children are killed, injured, or left severely distressed, and their families are left grieving unimaginable losses. This environment deprives children of essential services and even the basic security of their homes, ripping away their sense of safety when they need it most. 

We must not allow violence against children to become normalized or accepted as inevitable. We need urgent and decisive action to protect children across the West Bank and to stop this becoming their increasing reality.” 

The Israeli military operation came six weeks after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the UN’s highest court – declared that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful.   

Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children across the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953. In the areas in the north of the West Bank affected by the latest escalation in violence, we provide cash assistance for families, education support to children, teachers and caregivers, and work with partners, including the YMCA, to provide mental health and psychosocial support to children and caregivers. We are continuously monitoring the situation and remain ready to provide immediate humanitarian assistance. 

Notes to Editor: 

• According to OCHA, between October 7^th and August 14^th, the number of Palestinian children killed by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces has nearly tripled compared with the preceding 10 months, rising to 115 from 39.⁴⁵ The number of children injured by Israeli live ammunition has more than doubled, with 1,411 injured compared to 615 in the preceding 10 months.⁴⁶ The total of child casualties to Israeli live ammunition is 1,526 within a ten months period, averaging at 5.08 casualty a day. 
• Between 7 October 2023 and 2 September 2024, the UN recorded about 1,300 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians. In the same period, Israeli authorities destroyed, demolished, confiscated, or forced the demolition of 1,478 Palestinian structures across the West Bank, displacing more than 3,477 Palestinians, including about 1,485 children. This is more than double the displacement recorded during the equivalent period before 7 October.
• Since October 2023, Israeli airstrikes killed 136 Palestinians and left 41 injured. By comparison, between 2020 and October 2023, only six Palestinians were killed in airstrikes, all in 2023.

For further enquiries please contact: 

Randa Ghazy, Regional Media Manager for North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe: Randa.Ghazy@savethechildren.org; 

Our media out of hours (BST) contact is media@savethechildren.org.uk / +44(0)7831 650409 

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