July 02, 2018•Update: July 03, 2018
By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine
The Israeli army has killed 25 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza Strip since the beginning of 2018, a rights NGO said Monday.
In a press release, Defense for Children International-Palestine, which advocates for the rights of Palestinian children in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, held the Israeli army responsible for the death of 25 children -- 21 in the Gaza Strip -- this year alone.
It went on to assert that Israeli forces had deliberately killed minors with the use of live ammunition.
According to the NGO, this death toll includes 21 children targeted directly, 11 of whom were shot in the head or neck.
“The Israeli army continues its escalations using lethal force and live bullets against Palestinian children who pose no direct threat to it,” the NGO’s statement read.
Reporting by Qais Abu Samra:Writing by Mahmoud Barakat
