Rabat- 78 Palestinian children have been killed in Palestine since January, making 2021 the deadliest year on record for young Palestinians.
61 Palestinian children were killed in Gaza this year while 15 Palestinian children were killed in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, according to data released by Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP), an NGO dedicated to ensuring children’s rights in Palestine.
“At least nine Palestinian children were shot and killed during demonstrations or confrontations with Israeli forces and did not present a direct threat to life or of serious injury when they were shot,” DCIP research showed.
Of the Palestinian children who have been killed by tIsraeli forces in 2021, 78 lost their lives to“tank-fired shells, live ammunition, and missiles dropped from weapon zed drones,” it added.
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Israeli forces killed 60 Palestinian children during Israel’s military assault on the Gaza Strip in May 2021, dubbed Operation Guardian of the Walls, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
Violence against Palestinians reached a new high in May. Israeli security forces fired percussion grenades into the Al Aqsa mosque, trying to clear out local worshippers.
“Israeli warplanes and weaponized drones bombarded densely populated civilian areas killing Palestinian children sleeping in their beds, playing in their neighborhoods, shopping at stores near their homes, and celebrating Eid Al-Fitr with their families,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP.
The NGO further noted that over 2,198 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the Palestinian territories since 2000.
“Israel as the occupying power in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the Gaza Strip, is required to protect the Palestinian civilian population from violence,” concluded the NGO.
