Last year became the most deadliest for palestinian children
During 2016 in the occupied West Bank have been killed more children than any of the previous 10 years. This was reported by the human rights group Defence for Children (DCI).
The organisation's chapter in the occupied Palestinian territories recorded the killings of 32 Palestinian children (under 18), making 2016 "the deadliest year of the past decade" for them, the group said in a recent report.
Many of those killings happened during Israeli military raids on Palestinian towns in the occupied West Bank, confrontations with the Israeli army or during unarmed protests.
"Israeli soldiers employ a shoot-to-kill policy. They have the green light to kill Palestinians, and the fact that they can do so with impunity and no consequences builds the foundation for such shootings to take place," Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Programme Director at DCI-Palestine, told Al Jazeera.
Since October 2015, Israeli soldiers and settlers have been responsible for the killing of at least 244 Palestinians, including unarmed demonstrators, bystanders and alleged attackers in what has been termed the "Jerusalem intifada" or Jerusalem uprising.
Thirty-six Israelis have also been killed in stabbing and shooting incidents carried out by Palestinians.
"Due to the political situation, especially the Jerusalem uprising since October 2015, the numbers have gone up with tension and clashes between the Israeli army and Palestinians increasing," said Abu Eqtaish.
Out of the 32, 19 were between the ages of 16 and 17, while 13 were in the age group of 13 to 15 years old, according to DCI-Palestine.
In 2015, the total number of civilians under the age of 18 killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem stood at 28. In 2014, 13 Palestinian children were killed, while four were killed in 2013.
Source: Al Jazeera
