Israeli forces kill three Palestinian boys during a military raid on the Nour Shams refugee camp

Ramallah, April 22, 2024—Israeli forces killed three Palestinian children during a military raid on the Nour Shams refugee camp that lasted more than two days.

Jihad Nyaz Naser Zandiq, 15, Ali Mohammad Ali Abdullah, 17, and Qais Fathi Ibrahim Nasrullah, 14, were killed by Israeli forces on April 19 during a 54-hour military raid on the Nour Shams refugee camp, near Tulkarem in the northern occupied west . Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International – Palestine. Israeli forces shot Jihad and Qais with live ammunition, while shrapnel from an Israeli-fired grenade killed Ali. Israeli forces deliberately prevented Palestinian ambulances from reaching injured Palestinians for the entire duration of the military incursion.

“The Israeli military invasion of the Nour Shams refugee camp marks the deadliest days in the occupied West Bank since the Second Intifada,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces viciously targeted Palestinian children with lethal force and destroyed civilian infrastructure throughout the camp, amounting to collective punishment in violation of international law.”

15-year-old Jihad Zandiq was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier from a distance of about 30 to 40 meters (98 to 131 feet) on April 19 at around 3 p.m. as he left his uncle’s house in the Zandiq neighborhood of Nour . Shams refugee camp, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Jihad and his uncle were in the house when a group of armed Palestinians arrived. Israeli forces surrounded the house and ordered everyone to leave the house. Jihad and a Palestinian man walked out of the house with their hands raised and shouted that they were civilians. Israeli forces shot them both dead, and Jihad’s body remained on the ground for about seventeen hours. A neighbor managed to pull Jihad’s body into his home until Israeli forces withdrew from the Nour Shams refugee camp.

Ali Abdullah, 17, was hit by shrapnel from Israeli-fired grenades around 5 p.m. on April 19 as he and another young man tried to leave the Zandiq area of ​​the Nour Shams refugee camp, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Ali, who reportedly took part in clashes with Israeli forces, suffered burns and shrapnel wounds to his face and chest. His body lay on the ground until Israeli forces withdrew from the Nour Sham refugee camp.

14-year-old Qais Nasrullah was shot by Israeli forces around 5:30 PM on April 19 while standing with a group of civilians at the Megaland roundabout in an area of ​​Tulkarem where there were no clashes between armed Palestinians and Israeli forces. according to documentation collected by DCIP. Qais was hit by a bullet that entered the left side of his chest and exited on the right side under his armpit. The bullet was fired by an Israeli soldier in a heavily armored Israeli military vehicle from a distance of approximately 300 meters (984 feet). A private vehicle took Qais to Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarem, where doctors attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead minutes after arrival.

Israeli forces entered the Nour Shams refugee camp at around 5:30 PM on April 18 from the Tzununa border crossing, the Jabara checkpoint, the Anab checkpoint and the illegal Israeli settlement of Avnei Hefetz, located west of Tulkarem. Israeli forces besieged several Palestinian homes in the central square of the Nour Shams refugee camp and in the Manshiya neighborhood as armed Palestinians confronted Israeli forces. Israeli military reinforcements arrived, including three bulldozers, completely closing off the camp.

Israeli forces withdrew about 54 hours later, around 10:00 PM on April 20. During the raid, Israeli forces destroyed the camp’s roads, civilian infrastructure and many houses. The damage caused power, water and internet outages in parts of the camp. Israeli forces also took over many Palestinian homes and used them as military bases, barracks and observation points. Israeli forces blocked Palestinian ambulances from entering the Nour Shams refugee camp for the entire duration of the military incursion.

During the raid, Israeli forces arrested dozens of Palestinians, injured at least 25 and killed 14 people, including Jihad, Ali and Qais.

According to documentation collected by DCIP, Israeli forces and settlers killed 39 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, including two U.S. citizens.

According to documentation collected by DCIP, 120 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, when the Israeli army began a large-scale military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

According to documentation collected by DCIP, Israeli forces and settlers killed at least 121 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2023. Israeli forces and settlers shot dead 103 Palestinian children with live ammunition, 13 Palestinian children were killed in drone strikes, four Palestinian children were killed by missiles fired from an American-made Apache attack helicopter, and one child was killed in an airstrike with a Israeli fighter plane. .

Under international law, intentional lethal force is only justified in circumstances where there is an immediate threat to life or serious injury. However, research and evidence collected by DCIP regularly shows that Israeli forces use lethal force against Palestinian children in circumstances that may amount to extrajudicial or intentional killings.