Report: 30 children shot by Israel since the beginning of the year

RAMALLAH, (PIC)– The global movement for the defense of children in Palestine said that the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) are still using excessive force against the Palestinian children including firing live bullets at them.
 
The movement added in a press statement on Saturday that since the beginning of the current year it has documented 30 cases in which Palestinian children were shot with live bullets fired by Israeli soldiers and settlers, and pointed out that 29 of them were shot while they were participating in peaceful marches in the West Bank and the last one was shot by settlers in Silwan town in Occupied Jerusalem.
 
The movement attributed using this excessive force by the IOF to the Israeli soldiers’ conviction and prior knowledge that they will get away with impunity in spite of all their heinous crimes, according to the statement.
 
It also pointed out that according to the Israeli army special regulations live ammunition is not be used except in cases that constitute mortal threats to the Israeli soldiers, and pointed to the lack of evidences which prove that the child victims were posing such threats when targeted.
 
The statement mentioned the case of the minor Mu’ath al-Ramahi, 15, who was shot in the chest with a live bullet during violent clashes with the IOF at the entrance of Jalazone camp on March 6 causing him severe wounds in his right lung and damages in his ribs and chest muscles.

The same clashes led to the injury of the minor Muhammad Hmidat, 16, who was shot in the face.
 
The statement cited Hmidat as saying: “I felt like if someone was hitting me from the back then I felt dizziness and a dull pain at that time then I noticed that my face was bleeding profusely”.

The statement also mentioned that the minor Malik Ghawanmeh, 16, was shot with a live bullet in his right leg leading to shattering the bones. The minor Muhammad Birnat, 16, was also hit with a live bullet while he was participating in the weekly peaceful march in Bil’in village near Ramallah.

“The Israeli soldiers started to fire tear gas and stun grenades and live bullets at us,” Birnat said, adding:” I was looking for a place to hide when I felt that something hit my right leg strongly.”

The clinical tests and the X-rays showed that the bullet settled in his right knee, according to the medical report of the child.

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