Since 7 October 2023, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed 235 children in the West Bank, with no indictments issued in what activists characterize as a “licence to kill.” On 16 October last year, nine-year-old Mohammad al-Halaq was shot in the pelvis by an Israeli soldier while playing football in a school playground in ar-Rihiya, south of Hebron. His mother, Aliyah, remembered him as a joyful boy who had been excited about a new school bag just hours before he was killed. Video footage of the incident shows a soldier aiming his rifle toward a group of boys; Mohammad collapsed after being shot, and others attempting to help him were held back by teargas and further gunfire.
Mohammad’s death is one of many. Since the Gaza war began following a Hamas attack on 7 October 2023—which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis, including about 800 civilians and 38 children—reprisals have extended to the West Bank. In Gaza, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed, including 21,000 children. Yuli Novak, executive director of the human rights group B’Tselem, noted that the widespread killing in the West Bank stems from an Israeli policy allowing the killing of Palestinians without accountability. B’Tselem’s report, Unshielded Childhood, which focuses on 54 children and teenagers killed in 2025, rejects claims by Maj Gen Avi Bluth, head of the army’s central command, who suggested “we are killing like we haven’t killed since 1967.” Bluth claimed 96% of those killed were involved in terrorism, a statement B’Tselem called a “blatant lie,” finding no evidence that any of the minors killed in 2025 posed a threat or belonged to militant groups.
An IDF spokesperson stated that the army does not “intentionally target uninvolved civilians” and that every allegation is examined. However, according to Yesh Din, no Israeli has been indicted for the killing of a Palestinian since October 2023. A UN independent international commission of inquiry recently found that Israeli forces have “deliberately targeted Palestinian children,” amounting to war crimes in the West Bank. Commission chair Srinivasan Muralidhar emphasized that Israel continues to show disregard for the protection of children.
Other tragic cases include Rimas Amuri, 13, who was shot in the back in February last year near the Jenin refugee camp, and two-year-old Layla al-Khatib, who was killed in January last year while sitting on her mother’s lap during a military incursion. Her grandfather, Bassam, recalled soldiers taking over their building before gunfire broke out. Layla was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The IDF stated that the cases of al-Halaq, Amuri, and al-Khatib are currently under investigation by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division, while maintaining that the vast majority of those killed were involved in terrorist activity.
