Palestinian MoH reports on the spiking death toll in 2023

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Feb 23:03

Since the beginning of 2023, Israeli soldiers have killed 42 Palestinians, including 9 children.

A Palestinian youth assists his friend to tie his scarf before a weekly protest in the West Bank town of Kfar Qaddum, Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 (AP Photo/ Maya Alleruzzo)

The Palestinian health ministry reported that since the beginning of 2023, Israeli soldiers have killed 42 Palestinians, including 9 children.

According to Palestine's official Wafa news agency, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli troops this year is at a new high compared to recent years.

According to the ministry, 224 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied territories last year, including 53 children and 17 women. Since 2005, 2022 has been the deadliest year for Palestinians.

The ministry added that 45 of the killed Palestinians were between the ages of 11 and 17, while 8 of them were children under the age of 10. Israeli soldiers often conduct raids, under the pretext of apprehending "wanted" Palestinians, often ending in violent confrontations with locals.

According to the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and Ex-Detainees' Affairs, "Israel" has arrested more than 50,000 children since 1967 with 160 children still being detained in Israeli prisons today.

In recent years, Israeli occupation authorities have increasingly targeted Palestinian children, and disrupted their education, harming future generations as a result.

Additionally, due to legal constraints on their detention, around 600 Palestinian children were kept under house arrest in 2022, a type of punishment mostly for those under the age of 14.

According to reports, there are about 7,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons, and many of them are subjected to administrative detention, which can last up to 11 years.

The Palestinian Prisoners' Center for Studies reported in September 2021 that Israeli authorities have been keen on targeting Palestinian children in recent years for the purpose of deterring minors from resisting the Israeli occupation.

In doing so, the Israeli authorities have destroyed their educational opportunities aiming to develop a weak and inconsequential generation of Palestinians.

Check out: The IOF arrested hundreds of Palestinian children since the beginning of 2022