IOF killings of Palestinian children in West Bank occur with impunity

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: CBC News
21 Dec 2023 23:13
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Human rights organizations warn that Israeli occupation forces encounter minimal accountability, if any, for the killing of Palestinian children during raids in the West Bank.

The mother (C) of Mohammad Haytham al-Tamimi, a 2.5-year-old Palestinian child shot by the IOF a week earlier, carries his body during his funeral in the village of Nabi Saleh, West Bank, on June 6, 2023. (AFP)

Following the incident where Israeli soldiers "mistakenly" killed three unarmed Israeli captives waving white flags, the Israeli military allegedly initiated a review, claiming that the occurrence was "against our rules of engagement."

However, human rights organizations argue that there is minimal accountability, if any, when Israeli occupation forces are responsible for the killing of Palestinian children in brutal raids on the West Bank, as reported by CBC News.

This year has witnessed over 100 such killings, marking the highest recorded toll, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which has been tracking casualties since 2005. The previous record of 36 killings was surpassed in September of this year, underscoring the persistent challenges in ensuring accountability for such incidents.

These organizations warn that Israeli authorities are not adhering to international protocols designed to safeguard children during what they call "military operations".

According to Ori Givati, the advocacy director at Breaking the Silence, an organization initiated by IOF veterans opposing "Israel's" occupation of Palestinian territories, holding an IOF member accountable following the killing of Palestinian civilians is "very rare".

Givati, a former combat soldier, remarked that the IOF consistently find justifications for their actions, often categorizing them as "operational errors" or claiming they were "not intentional." He added that the absence of tangible consequences for the killings or mistreatment of Palestinians has cultivated a permissive environment, enabling the use of lethal force against civilians, including children.

'Israel' just kills children and blames it on 'counterterrorist activity'

This year in the occupied West Bank, two children, eight-year-old Adam Samer al-Ghoul and 15-year-old Basil Suleiman Abu al-Wafa, were killed during an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp. Videos circulating on social media seemed to depict separate incidents of al-Ghoul and al-Wafa being shot by Israeli occupation forces.

In response to inquiries from CBC News, the IOF claimed that they were not involved in the killing of the two children. Instead, they claimed they were engaged in "counterterrorist activity" and "responded to the hurling of explosive devices at the forces by firing toward the individuals they deemed as terrorists."

Footage shows the moment a nine-year-old child was shot and killed by the Israeli occupation forces in #Jenin.#Palestine pic.twitter.com/QGZBq3bgfS
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 29, 2023

'Israel cannot legitimize the killing of civilians'

Due to the West Bank being under occupation and not in a state of "wartime", "Israel" cannot legitimize the killing of civilians by asserting it is in the pursuit of "counterterrorism", explained Bill Van Esveld, an associate director focusing on children's rights at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

In an August report, HRW investigated the killing of Palestinian teenagers by Israeli forces in the West Bank from November 2022 to March 2023. The report highlighted three incidents involving groups of children throwing rocks and/or Molotov cocktails at armored military vehicles from a distance.

According to Van Esveld, this does not constitute a significant enough threat to justify soldiers "spraying the whole area with automatic gunfire," as witnesses affirm in the incidents documented by HRW.

'Shoot first and ask questions later'

Van Esveld noted that the military has policies allowing soldiers to essentially "shoot first and ask questions later."

Since 2021, "Israel" has authorized its forces to shoot at Palestinians who throw rocks or firebombs at cars, even if the individuals are fleeing and no longer pose an immediate threat.

Even when a minor is actively engaged in confrontations, they "should be treated as a victim," according to international protocols, stated Khalid Quzmar, the director of Defense for Children International — Palestine (DCI-P).

While "Israel" has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, along with the Geneva Conventions, which constitute the international humanitarian laws regulating conduct during armed conflict, it deliberately bypasses them and engages in arbitrary killings. Both treaties emphasize the need for the protection of children participating in hostilities, while simultaneously prohibiting non-state armed factions from recruiting individuals under the age of 18.

Quzmar, a lawyer, has been collaborating with DCI-P for over two decades, advocating for and assisting Palestinian children within the Israeli military court system while documenting abuses and killings by Israeli forces.

In 2021, the Israeli government labeled DCI-P and five other Palestinian human rights groups as "terrorist organizations". Rejecting this designation, DCI-P asserted it was an "unjust action by Israeli authorities to criminalize and eliminate our lawful human rights and child protection work."

The Oct. 7 operation and "Israel's" war on Gaza, Quzmar said, have given Israeli soldiers and Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank a "free hand … to do what they would like."

More than half of the killings of Palestinian children in the territory this year have occurred since October 7, as documented by OCHA.

Quzmar highlighted as reported by CBC News that the likelihood of a Palestinian child facing harm, injury, or arrest by Israeli forces is so significant that his organization frequently cautions the children it assists to refrain from venturing outside their neighborhoods due to the potential risk of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

An illustrative case is that of Mohammad Haytham al-Tamimi, a two-and-a-half-year-old child who was shot in the head by Israeli gunfire in June while securely fastened in the seat of a parked vehicle. The Israeli military attributed his death to confusion arising from gunfire sounds in the area.

"I witnessed my own child being executed by the occupation."

The body of #Palestinian child Mohammad Haytham Tamimi was carried in a tiny casket and held by Palestinian children amid tears and angry calls for "Israel" to be held accountable for the daily atrocities. pic.twitter.com/PEMp5WARti
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 6, 2023

In this particular incident, the IOF acknowledged its responsibility for al-Tamimi's death. Following an initial investigation, the Israeli military claimed its intention to reprimand one of the officers involved. However, whether the military proceeded with a criminal investigation into the child's death remains unclear.

However, a study conducted by the Israeli organization Yesh Din revealed that less than one percent of complaints against members of Israeli forces resulted in an indictment between 2017 and 2021. During this period, over 400 complaints were filed regarding Israeli soldiers killing Palestinians during military operations, yet only three investigations led to indictments, as reported by Yesh Din. The sentences imposed in these cases were reportedly "very lenient", involving short periods of community service.

Breaking the Silence's Givati asserted that Palestinian civilians, including children, are essentially considered "legitimate targets" in Israeli military operations due to the dehumanizing conditions imposed on them under the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

It is worth noting that the Palestinian Ministry of Health has lately announced that the total number of Palestinians killed in the occupied West Bank by the Israeli occupation this year has reached 505 people, including 111 children.