Ref: 17/2023
Date: 14 February 2023
Time: 12:00 GMT
This morning, a Palestinian child was shot dead by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) when Israeli Special Forces raided Far’a refugee camp in southern Tubas, north of the West Bank, to arrest a Palestinian. This is the second child killed within 48 hours and the ninth killed by IOF since the beginning of the year, reflecting IOF’s excessive use of force and lenient shooting standards against the Palestinian civilians upon a decision from the highest political and military echelons.
According to investigations conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and eyewitnesses’ testimonies, at approximately 05:00, an Israeli Special Unit sneaked via a white Mercedes car with a Palestinian registration plate into Far’a refugee camp in southern Tubas. The Special Unit stationed in the western neighborhood near Abu Baker al-Sedeeq Mosque in al-‘Aboushi neighborhood, where they cordoned off Sameer Ahmed al-Khatib’s house and some of its soldiers topped the roof of Mohammed ‘Abed al-Rahman al-Khatib’s 3-story house, tightening the cordon around the area. Meanwhile, there were 6 children, from the neighborhood, standing in front of Abu Baker al-Sedeeq Mosqueand about 80 meters to the west of the cordoned house. Few minutes later, Mahmoud Majed Mohammed ‘Ayed (17), who was carrying a small oxygen cylinder, walked towards Mohammed Jameel al-‘Aboushi’s house, which was 100 meters away from the house topped by the soldiers and overlooking it from behind. When the Special Force saw him, they fired one bullet at him, wounding the back of his head from behind. The child was taken in a civilian car to Tubas Turkish Hospital, but due to his serious health condition, he was referred to Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus, where he was pronounced dead at 11:00. It should be noted that IOF arrived at the area to back up the Special Unit, and before their withdrawal at about 06:30, they arrested Ahmed Raja al-Khatib (46).
PCHR reiterates its condemnation, in the strongest terms, of the willful and systematic killing of the Palestinians and call upon the international community to take immediate action to end the Israeli occupation’s crimes and protect the Palestinian civilians. PCHR also urges the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to activate his role and the role of the International Commission of Inquiry to prosecute those responsible for such crimes.