Toronto, February 7, 2025 – Almost half of all Palestinian children killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the occupied West Bank since records began were killed in just the past two years, highlighting an intensification of violence which has left children and families living under constant fear, said Save the Children.
At least 224 children have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers since January 2023, accounting for nearly half of the 468 children killed in the West Bank since records began in 2005, according to OCHA [1].
This alarming trend has continued into 2025, with at least 10 Palestinian children, the youngest just two years old, among 70 people killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in one of the deadliest Januarys for children, just as a pause in hostilities came into effect in Gaza. About 309 people were also injured including 57 children, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
At least 10 Palestinians, including one child, were killed in Jenin on 21 January during an Israeli military operation involving airstrikes – just two days after the pause in hostilities took effect in Gaza – according to the Ministry of Health. In another incident on 25 January, a two-year-old child was reportedly shot in the head by Israeli sniper fire while inside her family home [2]. One child was killed in January in an exchange of fire between Palestinian forces and other armed Palestinians, according to OCHA [3].
This is the second most deadly January in the West Bank since records began in 2005. Last year was the worst with 61 people, including 14 children, killed [4]. There has been a 20-fold increase in the number of Palestinian children killed by airstrikes in the West Bank in recent years, according to OCHA, with only one child killed in the 18 years between 2005 and 7 October 2023 by airstrikes.
During 2024, Israeli forces carried out 152 airstrikes in the West Bank – at least 82 on densely populated areas like Jenin and Tulkarem refugee camps – killing civilians, destroying homes, schools, and other vital civilian infrastructure, according to the United Nations [5]. The year 2024 also saw the highest numbers of displacement, demolitions, and settler violence across the West Bank with about 4,250 Palestinians displaced, 1,760 structures destroyed, and 1,400 settler attacks in 2024, according to OCHA [6].This raises serious concerns about excessive use of force, with war-like tactics including air strikes at odds with international human rights law, norms and standards applicable to law enforcement operations.
Marah*, 8, who lives in Jenin Refugee Camp in the West Bank, said:
“We are scared…There’s a lot of mud, bullets, and they [Israeli forces] shoot tear gas. Our school isn’t safe. It’s close to the army… I was sitting here, this window shook, and the glass fell. Every day, there is the sound of drones. We’ve kind of gotten used to it a little.”
Movement restrictions imposed by Israeli forces have made daily life even more difficult. Since 7 October 2023, almost 900 new military checkpoints and barriers have reportedly been installed [7], severely limiting families’ ability to travel for work, school, or essential supplies. Children and humanitarian workers report waiting at checkpoints for up to 12 hours.
Save the Children is calling on international governments to take concrete steps to hold Israeli forces accountable for violations of international law, for an immediate end to the use of violence against children in the West Bank, and the facilitation of humanitarian aid.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Middle East Regional Director at Save the Children, said:
“Children in the West Bank are still being killed, just as they have been for the past 16 months and for decades before. The pause in hostilities in Gaza has only seen an increase in violence for them.
“The situation in the West Bank is not an active conflict, it’s an occupation. The use of force is governed by international human rights law. Israeli forces should be operating like a police force, not like an army, but they’re using military tactics and weapons designed for war like airstrikes to kill and maim children.
“No child should ever have to face this unimaginable violence. Every airstrike, every raid, tears apart families and leaves physical and mental harm that last far beyond the immediate destruction.
“The international community must act now. Palestinian children and families need decisive action. All states supplying weapons, parts and ammunition that risk being used in the commission of international crimes must cease immediately. Without accountability and adherence to international law, Palestinian children will continue to be killed, displaced, and deprived of their fundamental rights and safety.”
Save the Children has been working in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1953, working with partners to provide education, mental health support, and humanitarian assistance to children and their families. In light of the deteriorating situation for Palestinian children, Save the Children plans to scale up its humanitarian response in the West Bank, prioritizing supplies of essential goods and cash assistance to families to address the escalating humanitarian crisis. This includes providing case management services for at-risk children and mental health support to children, caregivers and frontline workers, as well as establishing child-friendly spaces. We will also scale up food distributions and increase safe water access by providing emergency drinking water supplies and distributing hygiene and dignity kits and cleaning supplies.
ENDS
[1] https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-262-west-bank
[2] Two-year-old killed: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/26/israeli-forces-kill-2-year-old-palestinian-girl-in-occupied-west-bank-raid
[3 & 4] OCHA Public Database: https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties
[5] “In 2024, Israel conducted 115 air strikes across the West Bank, including 59 inside refugee camps. In 2023, Israel conducted 37 air strikes across the West Bank, including 23 inside refugee camps. (UN)” https://www.nrc.no/news/2025/january/escalation-in-the-west-bank-violations-surge-amid-fragile-ceasefire-in-gaza
[6] “The year 2024 has recorded the highest numbers in nearly two decades since OCHA began documents such incidents, with approximately 4,250 Palestinians displaced 1,760 structures destroyed, and about 1,400 incidents involving Israeli settlers across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.” https://www.ochaopt.org/content/humanitarian-situation-update-252-west-bank
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