The report by Defence for Children International (DCIP) highlights the systematic targeting of Palestinian children by Israeli occupation forces. Documenting 141 child fatalities between October 7, 2023, and July 31, 2024, the findings are based on eyewitness accounts, medical reports, and CCTV footage. It indicates that most victims were shot in vital areas, often by snipers during military operations or while going about their daily activities.

Among the tragic cases reported, a four-year-old girl named Ruqaya Jahalin was shot while in a vehicle with her mother at a checkpoint. Another victim, 15-year-old Mahmoud Amjad Ismail Hamadneh, was shot multiple times by an Israeli sniper while riding his bike home from school. The report asserts that these children posed no imminent threat and that Israeli forces failed to issue any warnings before opening fire.

The DCIP report emphasizes a stark disregard for international law by Israeli forces, noting that live ammunition should be a last resort according to the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force. Furthermore, it revealed that in 60 percent of the documented cases, paramedics and ambulances were systematically obstructed from reaching the injured children, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

Since 2000, DCIP has recorded over 700 Palestinian child fatalities in the West Bank, with 20 percent occurring since the onset of the current genocide. The report suggests that the increase in casualties is partly due to the Israeli authorities’ failure to hold soldiers accountable for unlawful actions, which may constitute war crimes under international law.