Israeli army kills two Palestinian children in occupied West Bank

Two Palestinian children were shot in the back and killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank.

Ayman Nasser al-Haymouny, 12, was killed in Hebron while 13-year-old Rimas al-Amouri was shot in the Jenin governorate, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Wafa news agency confirmed.

Israeli forces opened fire on al-Haymouny and shot him when he was visiting relatives south of Hebron. He was rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries.

Al-Amouri was shot in the abdomen and taken to Jenin Government Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.She was shot while standing in the courtyard of her family home in the Jenin area on Friday afternoon, Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) said.

An Israeli soldier in an armoured car, stationed approximately 50 metres (164 feet) from al-Amouri, fired at least five bullets into the courtyard where she was standing, hitting her in the back, DCIP said.

“Both Ayman and Rimas were targeted suddenly and without warning in the back with lethal force by Israeli soldiers safely positioned inside armoured vehicles,” DCIP’s Ayed Abu Eqtaish said.

“Israeli forces have nothing but contempt for Palestinian children’s lives and systemic impunity means they will face no consequences,” he added.

The killings come as the Israeli military carries out large-scale raids across the occupied West Bank for several weeks now, including in Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin and Nablus overnight.

‘Genocidal intent’

Overnight, the Israeli military also conducted raids in the Kafr Aqab neighbourhood near occupied East Jerusalem, as well as across Nablus, in the Am’ari refugee camp north of el-Bireh city, and in Jericho, Bethlehem and the Deir Ammar refugee camp west of Ramallah, local sources including Wafa reported.

A Palestinian man was taken by Israeli forces from the town of Zawata, west of Nablus city. In Jenin, where deadly Israeli raids have been ongoing for more than a month, the Israeli army pulled a man from his car and arrested him.

The home of a Palestinian due to be released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal on Saturday was also raided in Birzeit, north of Ramallah.

The homes of detained Palestinians in the Jalazone refugee camp were also raided and a detainee’s son was arrested.

Israeli plans to intensify military operations in Tulkarem and surrounding refugee camps in the occupied West Bank are evidence of “genocidal intent”, the region’s governor, Abdullah Kmeil, said.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Saturday condemned Israel’s operations in Tulkarem, as well as the killings of both al-Haymouny and al-Amouri.

“The OIC stressed that these Israeli attacks constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the group said in a statement, urging international action.