Palestinian Children Archives - Page 14 of 15

Haitham Mohammad al-Jamal

June 8, 2018July 28, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

June 8, 2018: Haitham Mohammad Khalil al-Jamal, 15, was killed by Israeli army fire in Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, while participating in a non-violent protest against the imprisonment of Gaza by the Israeli military, which has surrounded the coastal strip since 2005, controlling land,sea and air.

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza has confirmed that Israeli soldiers killed four Palestinians, including one child, and injured 618 others, including five journalists, 26 children and 14 women, and added that 117 of the wounded were shot with live fire, among them eight who suffer very serious injuries.

It added that the soldiers also killed Emad Nabil Abu Drabi, 26, near the Great Return Camp, east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza.

In addition, the soldiers killed Yousef al-Faseeh, 29, with live fire, east of Gaza City.

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson of the Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip, said the soldiers shot at least 92 Palestinians with live fire, and 19 others were injured by shrapnel from the bullets.

He added that the army also shot five journalists, including Mohammad al-Baba, who works for Agence France Presse. He was injured with a live round in his thigh.

Dr. al-Qedra also stated that among the wounded Palestinians are 26 children and 14 women. The rest of the injured Palestinians suffered cuts and bruises, in addition to the severe effects of teargas inhalation.

One of the wounded Palestinians was directly shot with a high-velocity gas bomb which lodged in his upper jaw and settled in his mouth, moderately wounding him and causing him to suffer the severe effects of teargas inhalation and nearly suffocate.

It is worth mentioning that thousands of Palestinians participated in the Great Return March protests, Friday June 8^th, in several areas in the coastal region.

In a statement, Dr. al-Qedra said the soldiers killed 127 Palestinians, and injured 14700 others, including women, children, medics and journalists, in the Gaza Strip, since the beginning of the Great Return March on Palestinian Land, on March 30th, 2018.

The protests began on Land Day, on March 30th, and have continued each Friday through Nakba Day on May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Haitham was from Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Jamal Abdul-Rahman Affana

May 14, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

May 12, 2018: Jamal Abdul-Rahman Affana, 15, died, on Saturday evening, from serious wounds he suffered Friday, when Israeli soldiers shot him in the head.

Jamal was shot with a gas bomb in the head near Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, during the Great Return March.

The gas bomb directly struck the child in his head, causing a very serious injury, and he remained in critical condition until he died from his wounds the next day.

On the same day of his injury, the soldiers killed one Palestinian, identified as Jaber Salem Abu Mustafa, 40, after shooting him with a live round in the chest, east of Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

The soldiers also injured 448 Palestinians, including 112 who were shot with live fire, among them seven in serious condition, and four of whom were directly shot with gas bombs.

Jamal was from Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyoub

April 20, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

April 20, 2018: Mohammad Ibrahim Ayyoub, 15, from Jabalia in northern Gaza, was shot by Israeli soldiers with an expanding bullet in the head while participating in a non-violent protest against the Israeli siege on Gaza.

Mohammad was one of four Palestinians killed on Friday, in the fourth straight week of Friday protests known as the “Great Return March”. Each week since March 30^th, thousands of Palestinians have gathered at the border between Gaza and Israel, demanding an end to the decade-long siege.

The Palestinian Health Ministry has confirmed that Israeli soldiers shot and killed, Friday, four Palestinians, including one child, and injured more than 729, including 24 children and twelve women, after the army resorted to the excessive use of force against protesters, on their lands, near the border fence, in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In addition to Mohammad, the soldiers shot and killed Ahmad Rashad al-Athamna, 24, from Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, after shooting him with a live round in his neck, east of nearby Jabalia.

The soldiers also killed Ahmad Nabil Aqel, 25, after shooting him with an expanding bullet in the head, east of Jabalia, in northern Gaza. He was first shot in his leg, received the needed treatment, and returned to the protests, before being killed by Israeli army fire.

In addition, the soldiers killed Sa’ad Abdul-Majid Abu Taha, 29, from al-Qarara town, northeast of the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, after shooting him with a live round in his neck.

The Health Ministry also stated that the soldiers shot more than 729 Palestinians, including 174 who were rushed to local hospitals, and at least three who suffered life-threatening wounds, and 271 who received treatment in make-shift field clinics. 156 of the wounded were shot with live fire.

One of the wounded is a medic, who suffered a very serious injury, in addition to two journalists. Ninety Palestinians suffered moderate wounds.

The Ministry stated that eighteen of the wounded Palestinians were shot in the neck and head, 26 in the chest and back, twelve in the pelvis and abdomen, and 154 were shot in their legs.

Furthermore, eighty-six Palestinians suffered the effects of teargas inhalation; 29 were injured by shrapnel; five were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets and 29 sustained cuts and bruises.

The army also fired many gas bombs at a Palestinian ambulance east of Gaza city.

The protests started on March 30th, which marks the Palestinian Land Day, and are planned to continue until May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba (Catastrophe), in which more than 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced by Israeli forces in 1948, and their villages and towns were destroyed, prior to the establishment of Israel in historic Palestine.

The Israeli army killed at least 34 Palestinians, and injured thousands or protesters since the nonviolent protests started on March 30th.

April 20^th, 2018 marked the fourth Friday of the massive nonviolent protests in Gaza, during which thousands of Palestinian refugees have taken to the heavily militarized borders with Israel to demand their collective right of return to their homelands.

The six-week protest is set to end on May 15th, the 70th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, or “catastrophe,” when the state of Israel was created, leaving some 750,000 Palestinians and millions of their descendants as refugees.

Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Palestinian Observer at the United Nations, sent three identical letters to the United Nations Secretary General, the head of the Security Council and the head of the General Assembly, informing them of the latest Israeli violations and the excessive use of force against unarmed Palestinian civilians.

He called on the International Community to provide the urgently-needed protection to the Palestinian people, facing serious Israeli military escalation and crimes, and urging them to oblige Israel to respect International Law and the Four Geneva Convention.

The Palestinian official said that peace and security around the world start with justice, and implementing International Law, by holding those who violate it accountable for their crimes.

“For the fourth consecutive week, Israel continues the excessive and lethal use of force against Palestinians participating in the nonviolent Great March of Return, especially in the Gaza Strip,” Mansour said, “Israel is shooting Palestinian women, children and the elderly, and is escalating its violations against them. These serious violations must stop; Israel should not be allowed to continue its breaches on International Law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

Despite widespread outcry from international rights groups who have condemned Israel’s excessive use of forces against the civilian protesters, Israeli has maintained its open-fire rules for the Gaza border, ordering its soldiers to “shoot to kill” any Palestinian, even children, who enter the ‘no-go’ zone near the border.

Mohammad was from Jabalia, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Salem Mohammad Sabbah

February 18, 2018February 19, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 17, 2018: Salem Mohammad Sabbah, 17, was killed by Israeli soldiers who fired missiles and artillery shells in al-Shokah village, east of the city of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

Salem was walking in the village with a group of teens when an Israeli military jet dropped a bomb, and the fired artillery shells from tanks stationed at the border, killing Mohammad and his friend ‘Abdullah Ayman Salim Irmeilat, 15, and wounding two other children.

The bombing was immediately criticized by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) as well as international human rights groups, as a ‘war crime’ by Israel and a clear violation of the obligations of an occupying power under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The PCHR said the children hit by the artillery shells were all teens under the age of 18, none of whom was associated in any way with any fighting group.

Investigations by PCHR emphasize that the shelling violates the principle of distinction and military necessity, and use of force was unjustifiable, noting that the two killed children and the other wounded were unarmed civilians who did not carry out any act that would endanger the life of Israeli soldiers.

Salem Mahmoud Abu Safra, 16, survived the airstrike, and was injured in the leg.

He told the WAFA News Agency, “We were studying together for school. But then the lights went out. There was no electricity for us to continue our studying. We began walking in the neighborhood near Rafah. We thought the area where we were walking was safe, and had no idea that Israel would be targeting us. Why would they target us?”

He was hit by shrapnel in his leg, he said that he had to crawl away to get under cover. Finally an ambulance arrived a number of hours later, and took him to the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital.

He was then moved to the Gaza European Hospital, which is where he received word that two of his friends were killed in the airstrike.

According to PCHR’s investigations, at approximately 21:30 on Saturday, 17 February 2018, Israeli forces stationed along the border fence with Israeli near al-Shokah village, east of Rafah City, fired around 10 artillery shells and opened fire at 4 Palestinian children.

Shrapnel of artillery shells and live bullets hit the four children in various parts of their bodies. Two of them were immediately transferred to Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital in Rafah City as they ran to the west until the medical staffs evacuated them.

The doctors described their condition as moderate while the medical crews could not reach the two other children as it was very late and increasingly dangerous.

At approximately 06:15 on Sunday, 18 February 2018, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance crews managed to access the area and transfer the bodies of the two children.

Medics of the Palestinian Red Crescent said that they evacuated two wounded children, and could not find the two other children. However, in the morning, they could evacuate their bodies that were 30 to 50 meters away from the border fence with Israel. They added that the two children died after being hit with shrapnel throughout their bodies.

Salem was from al-Shokah village, east of the city of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

‘Abdullah Ayman Irmeilat

February 18, 2018February 19, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

February 17, 2018: ‘Abdullah Ayman Salim Irmeilat, 15, was killed by an Israeli airstrike and artillery shelling in al-Shokah village, east of the city of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

‘Abdullah was walking in the village with a group of teens when an Israeli military jet dropped a bomb, and the soldiers fired artillery shells from tanks stationed at the border, killing ‘Abdullah and his friend, Salem Mohammad Sabbah, 17, and wounding two other children.

The bombing was immediately criticized by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, (PCHR) as well as international human rights groups, as a ‘war crime’ by Israel and a clear violation of the obligations of an occupying power under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The children hit by the bomb were all teens under the age of 18, none of whom was associated in any way with any fighting group.

Investigations conducted by the PCHR emphasize that the shelling violates the principle of distinction and military necessity, and use of force was unjustifiable, noting that the two killed children and the other wounded were unarmed civilians who did not carry out any act that would endanger the life of Israeli soldiers.

Salim Mahmoud Abu Safra, 16, survived the airstrike, and was injured in the leg. He told the WAFA News Agency, “We were studying together for school. But then the lights went out. There was no electricity for us to continue our studying. We began walking in the neighborhood near Rafah. We thought the area where we were walking was safe, and had no idea that Israel would be targeting us. Why would they target us?”

He was hit by shrapnel in his leg, he said that he had to crawl away to get under cover. Finally an ambulance arrived a number of hours later, and took him to the Abu Yousef An-Najjar Hospital. He was then moved to the Gaza European Hospital, which is where he received word that two of his friends were killed in the airstrike.

Shrapnel of artillery shells and live bullets hit the four children in various parts of their bodies. Two of them were immediately transferred to Abu Yousef An-Najar Hospital in Rafah City as they ran to the west until the medical staffs evacuated them. The doctors described their condition as moderate while the medical crews could not reach the two other children as it was very late and increasingly dangerous.

At approximately 06:15 on Sunday, 18 February 2018, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance crews managed to access the area and transfer the bodies of the two children.

‘Abdullah was from al-Shokah village, east of the city of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC

Dalal Theeb Lulah

December 29, 2017September 16, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

December 29, 2017: Dalal Theeb Lulah, 9, died at an Israeli military roadblock south of Nablus when Israeli forces prevented her from reaching the hospital while she was suffering a respiratory attack.

On 29 December 2017 at approximately 3:00 pm, Dalal started having shortness of breath. This recurring condition, related to her cerebral atrophy that was diagnosed at age three, requires her family to immediately transfer her to a hospital in Nablus city.

Accordingly, her mother, grandmother, father, and uncle immediately left the house with her, and seven minutes later, the family arrived to the checkpoint at the northern entrance of ‘Awarta.

An Israeli military jeep had blocked the road and five fully armed soldiers were standing near the gate at the checkpoint which was shut. Several cars had attempted to enter the village, but they were unable to, due to the closing of the gate.

Dalal’s uncle, Yasser As’ad Lulah, 41, who was driving the car, decided to approach the soldiers. The soldiers immediately pointed their machine guns at the car, which was approximately 15 meters away.

Yasser responded by waving at the soldiers to approach the car. Yasser explained to one of the soldiers Dalal’s condition and the need to transfer her to hospital immediately. The soldier responded that they were not allowed to pass through the gate. The family repeatedly pleaded with the soldiers to no avail.

Approximately half an hour later, Yasser decided to try the Huwwara checkpoint at the southern entrance of ‘Awarta. At Huwwara, confrontations had erupted between the Israeli soldiers and the Palestinian youth. There was tear gas and congested traffic. Dozens of cars had lined up to try and cross the checkpoint into Nablus. However, Israeli military jeeps had blocked the road about 50 meters from the checkpoint.

After an hour of waiting at the closed checkpoint, trying to convince the soldiers to allow their car to pass, the family managed to cross Huwwara checkpoint and headed towards the Rafidia Governmental Hospital in Nablus. By then, Dalal had lost consciousness and white foam was coming out of her mouth.

She was admitted to the emergency room where doctors tried to resuscitate her in vain. The doctors stated that Dalal had died about an hour before arriving to the hospital. After announcing her death, the Palestinian authorities carried out an autopsy which is expected in the coming two weeks.

Dalal was unable to have access to medical assistance due to Israel’s establishment of checkpoints and road closures. While restrictions on freedom of movement impact all Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories. In Dalal’s case, her rights to the highest attainable standard of health and her right to life were both violated.

These rights are enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),4 the Convention on the Rights of the Child5 and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

As the Occupying Power, Israel is obliged to respect, protect, and fulfil the right of the protected population in its jurisdiction to the highest attainable standard of health. Israel is required to facilitate access to all medical service and attention in time of sickness.

Al Haq Human Rights Center issued a statement following Dalal’s death describing the discriminatory policies and practices on the ground against Palestinians, which limit and often deny access to medical care and health facilities. The Center reported that Israel repeatedly denied Palestinians, including children and adolescents, from accessing health care, resulting in their death.

Dalal was from ‘Awarta, south of Nablus, in the northern part of the West Bank. Source: IMEMC

Abdullah al-Ajlouni

March 19, 2016June 27, 2017 contact@ifamericansknew.org

March 19, 2016: Abdullah Mohammad al-Ajlouni, 16, was killed by Israeli soldiers in Hebron’s Old City in the southern part of the West Bank after he allegedly attempted to stab a soldier. Medics said that the soldiers fired several rounds of live ammunition at him, fatally wounding him. Abdullah was from Hebron. Source: IMEMC

Abdul-Rahman Raddad

March 8, 2016June 27, 2017 contact@ifamericansknew.org

March, 8, 2016: Abdul-Rahman Raddad, 17, was shot by Israeli police fire in Petah Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, after stabbing and wounding an Israeli man, identified as Yonatan Ezriyahav, 39. Abdul-Rahman was from al-Zawiya village in the Central West Bank district of Salfit. Source: IMEMC

Ziad Tareq ar-Reefy

September 1, 2014November 7, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

September 01, 2014: Ziad Tareq ar-Reefy, 9, was killed by an Israeli missile that struck his family home in Gaza city; he was seriously injured in the strike on August 21, 2014, and died from his wounds on September 1, 2014.

The child was injured when the Israeli army fired a missile at the family’s farmland, in the Tuffah neighborhood, in Gaza city.

The Israeli missile instantly killed the child’s father Nasr Ziad ar-Reefy, 35, in addition to his brother Abdullah Tareq ar-Reefy, 7, his cousin Omar Nasr ar-Reefy, 4, Omar’s father, Mohammad Ziad Abed-Rabbo ar-Reefy, 28.

The Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights reported at the time that, on Thursday morning August 21^st, 2014, an Israeli war jet fired a missile toward farmland owned by ar-Reefy family, near the an-Nafaq Street, north of Gaza city, killing five members of the family, including three children, and wounding four, including two children, identified as Maram ar-Reefi, and Ziad Tareq ar-Reefy, 9, who later died from his wounds.

It said the soldiers killed Ahmad Tareq ar-Reefy, Mohammad Tareq ar-Reefy, 13, Abdullah Tareq ar-Reefy, 6, and Mohammad Ziad Abed-Rabbo ar-Reefy, 28, and injured dozens, many of them seriously.

A few hours later, the army fired a missile into Sheikh Radwan Graveyard, north of Gaza city, killing four graveyard workers and caretakers, identified as Abdul-Rahim Talal Shweikh, 22, Rami Hamdi Salem, 20, Mohammad Hamdi Salem, 18, and Awsam Talal Shweikh, 45, in addition to seriously wounding Salem Abu Ghaddayeen, 28.

The Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said the soldiers killed at least 2218 Palestinians during the 51-day Israeli offensive on the coastal region, while dozens later died from their serious wounds. Around 84% of the slain Palestinians were civilians, including hundreds of children.

Al-Mezan stated that the Israeli bombardment and shelling of Palestinian homes, residential buildings and structures, resulted in wiping out entire families, while dozens of families lost multiple members. According to UN OCHA, 142 families lost 3 members or more in the Israeli attacks.

Ziad was from Tuffah neighborhood, in Gaza City, in central Gaza. Source: IMEMC

Abdullah Tareq ar-Reefy

August 21, 2014November 7, 2018 contact@ifamericansknew.org

August 21, 2014: Abdullah Tareq ar-Reefy, 7, died when the Israeli army fired a missile at his home, during the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, in the summer of 2014.

Abdullah’s cousin, Mohammad Nasr ar-Reefy, 14, was seriously injured, on August 21, 2014, with injuries and shrapnel all over his body, including a piece in his spine, resulting in quadriplegia and various health complications. Mohammad died in November 2018.

The Israeli missile instantly killed the child’s brother Omar Nasr Ziad ar-Reefy, 4, and their father Nasr Ziad ar-Reefy, 35, in addition to his cousin Abdullah Tareq ar-Reefy, 7, and Abdullah’s brother Ziad, 13, along with their father, Mohammad Ziad Abed-Rabbo ar-Reefy, 28,

It said the soldiers killed Ahmad Tareq ar-Reefy, Mohammad Tareq ar-Reefy, 13, Abdullah Tareq ar-Reefy, 6, and Mohammad Ziad Abed-Rabbo ar-Reefy, 28, and injured dozens, many of them seriously.

Abdullah was from Tuffah neighborhood, in Gaza city, in central Gaza. Source: IMEMC