Ankara: Children account for nearly a quarter of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since October 2023, marking the highest death rate of minors since Israel's occupation of the territory in 1967, Israeli rights group B'Tselem reported on Monday.
According to Anadolu Agency, B'Tselem's Executive Director Yuli Novak stated in a report that the widespread killing of Palestinian children and teenagers in the West Bank stems from a broader Israeli policy that permits the killing of Palestinians with little accountability. Novak emphasized that statements from military commanders, boasting about the scale of killings, indicate a system that effectively grants a license to kill.
The report by B'Tselem highlights that 241 children and teenagers were among the 1,086 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank since October 2023. The rights group noted that 54 Palestinian children were killed in the West Bank last year, with Israeli forces delaying or preventing medical assistance in nearly one-quarter of these instances.
Additionally, Israel is withholding the bodies of 18 of the 54 children and teenagers killed in 2025, according to the group. B'Tselem argues that these killings are not isolated incidents or violations of military orders but result from an Israeli policy that broadens the conditions under which soldiers can use lethal force, often labeling those killed as 'terrorists' without evidence of threat.
The group criticized the lack of accountability, stating that no indictments have been filed for the killings of Palestinians, including children and teenagers, in the West Bank since October 2023. B'Tselem also connected these actions to the broader context of Israeli military actions in Gaza, where over 21,000 Palestinian children have been killed.
B'Tselem expressed concern that international inaction has allowed Israel to continue these practices, resulting in the deaths and injuries of more than 73,000 people in Gaza since October 2023. The organization warned that without accountability, the lives of Palestinians, including children, remain at risk.