Israel has killed 244 children in West Bank since October 2023, rights activist says

Israel has killed 244 children in the occupied West Bank since October 2023, with a lack of accountability giving Israeli soldiers a "green light" to continue their violations, Palestinian human rights activist Ayed Abu Qtaish told Anadolu. On May 13, UNICEF spokesperson James Elder stated that "children are paying an unbearable price" due to escalating military operations and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Escalating child deaths

Abu Qtaish said: "The number of Palestinian children killed by Israel in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since October 2023 has reached 244." Between October 2023 and the end of that year, Israel killed 81 Palestinian children in the West Bank, "which means that one child was killed every day," he added. In 2024, Israel killed 93 Palestinian children, an average of one child every four days. Since the beginning of 2025, 70 Palestinian children have been killed, an average of one child per week.

Lack of accountability

The human rights activist lamented that these violations show "a lack of accountability for Israeli soldiers involved in the killing of Palestinian children," adding: "This lack of accountability gives them a green light to continue killing children." He also pointed out that Israeli soldiers not only shoot at children but also prevent ambulances or their families from reaching them to provide medical assistance.

No serious investigations

Abu Qtaish stated that Tel Aviv "does not conduct serious investigations into the circumstances of these killings." He added: "Even in the rare cases where an investigation is opened, no soldier is ever convicted for these crimes." The issue "is not about individual soldiers disobeying orders, but rather about the very standards and instructions for opening fire."

Children's rights violated

Abu Qtaish warned that Israel is violating children's rights, including the right to education, describing the journey of Palestinian children to their schools as "a perilous journey." Palestinian children are often arrested and subjected to various forms of torture, with more than half held in administrative detention without charge.