By : Najla M. Shahwan
Jordan Daily – As the world’s attention has been concentrated since October 7 on the devastating Israeli war on Gaza were more than 16,000 children have been killed and around 34,000 injured, dozens of children in the occupied West Bank have been targeted and killed by the Israeli forces.
On average, one Palestinian child was killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, every two days, a nearly three-and-a-half-fold increase from the previous nine months , the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recorded recently.
A total of 143 Palestinian children have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October last year, a spike of nearly 250 per cent compared to the preceding nine months, during which 41 Palestinian children were killed , the United Nations organization pointed out.
Additionally, more than 440 Palestinian children have been injured with live ammunition which raises serious alarm around unnecessary and excessive use of force against the most vulnerable.
“For years now, children living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been exposed to horrific violence,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“The situation has deteriorated significantly, coinciding with the escalation of hostilities inside Gaza. We are seeing frequent allegations of Palestinian children being detained on their way home from school, or shot while walking on the streets. The violence needs to stop now.” She added.
The Palestinian casualties have been reported in 10 out of 11 governorates in the occupied West Bank, with more than half of the killings taking place in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nablus – areas that have seen an increase in large and militarized law enforcement operations over the past two years, indicating a shift in intensity and scope.
On the other hand, UNICEF highlighted that the increasing tensions in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are also impacting the physical and mental well-being of thousands of children and families, who are now living in daily fear for their lives.
Moreover , children were reported scared to walk around their neighborhoods, or to travel to school.
Prior to 7 October 2023, children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, were already exposed to the highest levels of violence in 20 years, with 41 Palestinian children killed in the first 9 months of last year.
Besides, they have also been heavily affected by movement and Israeli access restrictions that disrupted their daily lives.
“The true cost of the violence in the State of Palestine and Israel will be measured in children’s lives—those lost and those forever changed by it,” said Russell.
“What the children desperately need is an end to violence and a lasting political solution to the crisis, so that they can reach their fullest potential in peace and safety.” She added.
The dramatic escalation in violence against Palestinian children has been witnessed not only in the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza but also in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is deeply alarming with horrendous consequences for Palestinian children’s lives and wellbeing.
Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), described the Israeli offensive as “a war on children … a war on their childhood and their future.”
His stark warning was echoed by UN chief Antonio Guterres, who said in a General Assembly speech in May: “If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza.”
In the first half of 2024, there has been a severe escalation of violence and human rights violations in the West Bank as hundreds of Palestinians mostly women and children have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers, with over 1,000 displaced and nearly 160,000 adversely affected by demolitions , the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported.
The West Bank has experienced a significant surge in violence, resulting in 228 Palestinian fatalities, including 51 children, marking a 65 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023.
“The data indicates that Israeli forces are deploying unwarranted use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians,” said Ana Povrzenic, NRC’s country director in Palestine.
“We cannot separate the worsening conditions in the West Bank from the actions of senior Israeli officials aimed to establish sovereignty over the West Bank, in violation of international law.” She added.
Israeli authorities have intensified raids, particularly in Jenin,Tulkarm, and Nur Shams refugee camps, utilizing military tactics and heavy weaponry against civilians, including airstrikes.
These operations have led to the destruction of 81 structures and the displacement of 499 Palestinians in these areas alone.
“The Israeli army did not differentiate between a stone, a tree, or a human being,” said Nihaya al-Jundi, a resident of Nur Shams camp, where 242 Palestinians were displaced, and a youth center, a kindergarten, and a multi-purpose hall were destroyed. “No person and no home are safe, not even those with the elderly, people with disabilities, or children.” She continued.
In the past 10 months and since the war began , thousands of Palestinian children have been killed and many more injured , displaced and detained in Gaza , the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Palestinian children living under Israeli military occupation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are routinely denied their right to life, right to education, right to adequate housing, and are denied access to healthcare, among other rights denials inherent in a decade-long Israeli military occupation with no end in sight.
In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and called for the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The killing and maiming of children is a grave violation and willful killing is a serious breach of International Humanitarian Law and every single child, no matter who or where he or she is, must be protected.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights declares that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance. This is reaffirmed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which specifies and details the international standards for children’s rights.
However, any delay in bringing an end to the conflict will inevitably result in more devastating consequences for children.
“The suffering of children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, must not fade into the background of the current conflict – it is part of it.” UNICEF said.
Najla M. Shahwan is Palestinian author, researcher and freelance journalist.She is also Chairwoman of the Palestinian Center for Children’s Literature ( PCCL ) , founder of Jana Woman Cultural Magazine and recipient of two prizes from the Palestinian Union of Writers.
