UNICEF classifies 2023 deadliest year for children in West Bank
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The UNICEF statement emphasizes that children residing in the West Bank and occupied al-Quds have endured persistent violence for many years.
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The mother of Ghaith Yamin, 16, who was killed by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, mourns over his body, on May 25, 2022. (AFP)
UNICEF deemed 2023 the deadliest year on record for youths in the occupied West Bank, attributing the surge to heightened Israeli police and military interventions, aggravated by the ongoing situation in Gaza.
In a statement released on Thursday, UNICEF highlighted a surge in "conflict-related violence" in the occupied West Bank this year, revealing that 83 children were killed in the past 12 weeks, surpassing the total for the entire year of 2022 by more than double.
“Children living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been experiencing grinding violence for many years, yet the intensity of that violence has dramatically increased" since October 7, the agency added.
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
The UNICEF statement further condemned "serious violations against children, particularly instances of killing and causing severe injuries," calling on all parties to safeguard the fundamental right of children to "simply be alive." According to the agency, a total of 124 Palestinian children have been killed in the West Bank this year, with an additional 576 experiencing injuries in the region.
UN urges 'Israel' to 'end the unlawful killings'
Earlier this week, a report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights described the worsening safety conditions Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds have been subjected to by the Israeli occupation since its monstrous war on Gaza on October 7.
Subsequently, the UN urged "Israel" to "end the unlawful killings" of Palestinians under the badge of human rights, which have deteriorated into nothingness as a result of brutal settler and military violence.
The report revealed that 300 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank and the eastern part of al-Quds. Out of the 300, 291 were killed by the IOF and 8 were killed by Israeli settlers, while one Palestinian could have been killed by either.
“The use of military tactics and weapons in law enforcement contexts, the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force, and the enforcement of broad, arbitrary, and discriminatory movement restrictions that affect Palestinians are extremely troubling,” UN rights chief Volker Turk stated.
"I witnessed my own child being executed by the occupation."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 6, 2023
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
“The dehumanization of Palestinians that characterizes many of the settlers' actions is very disturbing and must cease immediately. Israeli authorities should strongly censure and prevent settler violence and prosecute both its instigators and perpetrators,” he added.
Meanwhile, human rights organizations have recently warned that Israeli occupation forces encounter minimal accountability, if any, for the killing of Palestinian children during raids in the occupied West Bank.
Read next: IOF killings of Palestinian children in West Bank occur with impunity
