Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank on Friday, escalating concerns over the increasing violence against Palestinian minors. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 12-year-old Ayman Nasser al-Haymouny was fatally shot in the chest while visiting relatives in the Jabal Jawhar area of Hebron. Red Crescent medics rushed him to Mohammad Ali Al-Mohtaseb Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. In a separate incident, 13-year-old Rimas al-Amouri was shot in the abdomen by Israeli forces in the Jenin governorate. The bullet exited through her back, and despite efforts to save her, she was pronounced dead at Jenin Governmental Hospital shortly after.
The deaths of Ayman and Rimas are part of a disturbing pattern of violence against Palestinian children. Rimas is the third child to be killed inside her own home in the occupied West Bank since January, as documented by Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP). Earlier this month, eight-year-old Jannat Faisal Sabri Mutawar suffered severe head injuries and is facing permanent vision loss after being shot by Israeli forces in her home near Hebron. In January, two-year-old Laila Mohammad Ayman Khatib was shot in the back of the head while having dinner with her family south of Jenin. These incidents highlight the alarming rise in attacks against Palestinian children, with at least 93 minors killed in 2024 alone by Israeli forces and settlers.
Human rights organizations have condemned the Israeli military’s continued use of live ammunition against Palestinian children, calling for urgent international intervention. Ayed Abu Eqtaish, director of the accountability program at DCIP, stated that Israeli forces act with “systemic impunity,” facing no consequences for their actions. He further criticized world leaders for allowing such brutality without demanding accountability. Despite mounting evidence of excessive force and civilian casualties, Israeli forces continue operations in the occupied West Bank with little to no repercussions, raising fears that more innocent lives will be lost in the ongoing conflict.
