Israel killing Palestinian children in the West Bank at highest rate since 1967, B'Tselem says

Israel killing Palestinian children in the West Bank at highest rate since 1967, B'Tselem says Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 06/29/2026 - 11:33 Rights group says that despite the high death toll, no one has been held accountable for the killing of Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank since October 2023 Relatives mourn 14-year-old Ammar Motaz Hamayel after he was killed during an Israeli raid in Kafr Malik, in the occupied West Bank, on 23 June 2025 (AFP/Zain Jaafar) Off Israeli forces are killing Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank at the highest rate since 1967, with 54 shot dead in 2025, B'Tselem said on Monday. The Israeli human rights group said nearly one in four Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territory since October 2023 has been a minor, marking the highest proportion since the occupation began. Despite the high child death toll, no one has been held accountable and there are no known indictments linked to the killings since October 2023. B'Tselem said the deaths were not "isolated mistakes or violations of military orders". Instead, it said they were the result of an Israeli policy that permits lax rules of engagement, routinely labels Palestinians as "terrorists", and shields soldiers who use lethal force. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “The widespread, unprecedented killing of Palestinian children and teenagers in the West Bank is the result of a broader Israeli policy that enables the killing of Palestinians with virtually no accountability,” B’Tselem's Executive Director Yuli Novak said. “When the military commander of the area boasts that Israel is killing Palestinians ‘like we haven’t killed since 1967,’ he is confirming exactly that: the system does not merely back those who pull the trigger - it effectively grants them a licence to kill.” 'Green light' to kill children Earlier this year, Israel's top military commander in the occupied West Bank, Avi Bluth, said the army was killing Palestinians at levels "not seen since 1967". He made the remarks in a closed forum, where he also defended looser rules of engagement allowing troops to open fire on unarmed Palestinians. Bluth acknowledged a discriminatory approach under which Jewish Israeli stone-throwers are not targeted, while Palestinians carrying out similar acts are shot at. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "In three years, we have killed 1,500 terrorists," he said, referring to Palestinians. "So how is there no intifada? Why aren't they taking to the streets? Why is the Palestinian public indifferent? Why are there no disturbances?" Bluth, a settler who has commanded Israeli forces in the West Bank since 2024, added: "The Arabs understand that 'if someone rises to kill you, kill him first' is part of the rules of the Middle East, and therefore we are killing like we have not killed since 1967." 'As long as Israel continues to enjoy near-total impunity in the world, the lives of Palestinians - including children - will remain unprotected and exposed' - B'Tselem According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), Israeli forces have killed 1,105 Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem since 7 October 2023, including at least 242 children. B'Tselem said that in nearly a quarter of the cases it documented, Israeli forces "delayed or prevented medical teams" from reaching wounded children, contributing to their deaths. It also said Israel has seized dozens of bodies of Palestinians it has killed. At least 18 children killed in 2025 are still being held by Israeli authorities. While B'Tselem's statement focused primarily on the occupied West Bank, the organisation said that the killings were linked to those in Gaza. A particular feature of Israel's genocide in Gaza has been its focus on children. “The killings in the West Bank cannot be separated from Israel’s killing of more than 21,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip,” B’Teslem said. “By allowing Israel to kill on such a scale in Gaza without consequences, the international community has effectively given it a green light to pursue the same lethal policy in the West Bank. “As long as Israel continues to enjoy near-total impunity in the world, the lives of Palestinians - including children - will remain unprotected and exposed.” Occupation News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0