11-year-old Abdullah Jamal Nidal Hawash was shot and killed by Israeli forces in Nablus on October 22, 2024. (Photo: Courtesy of the Hawash family)
Ramallah, October 24, 2024—Israeli forces shot and killed an 11-year-old Palestinian boy in Nablus on Tuesday.
Abdullah Jamal Nidal Hawash, 11, was shot in the chest by Israeli forces around 5:30 p.m. on October 22 in the Fatayer Street area near the old city of Nablus, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International – Palestine. Abdullah was approximately 50 meters (164 feet) away from the last Israeli military vehicle as it withdrew when an Israeli soldier inside the vehicle fired a bullet at him, striking him near the heart. He was transported by a civilian vehicle to Rafidia Governmental Hospital, where doctors attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterward.
“Israeli forces consistently use lethal force against Palestinian children, even in circumstances where they pose no threat to life or safety,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Abdullah’s killing highlights the routine nature of violence that Palestinian children face, where Israeli military incursions often escalate to fatal outcomes without accountability.”
Abdullah, a sixth grader, was struck in the chest with one bullet that exited from the back, according to information collected by DCIP.
Earlier that day, at approximately 5:10 p.m., reports emerged about Israeli special forces operating undercover in the Habs al-Dam area of the old city of Nablus. Around 5:20 p.m., Israeli military reinforcements, including seven military vehicles, entered from the At-Tur military gate, heading towards the southern entrances near Ras al-Ein and the old city. The special forces arrested a young man in the old city and withdrew by 5:30 p.m., heading back toward the At-Tur military gate. As the convoy passed Fatayer Street near Sondos Supermarket, a soldier inside the last vehicle opened fire, killing Abdullah.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 86 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2024, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
167 Palestinian children have been killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
Abdullah’s death is a yet another clear example of an extrajudicial execution and wilful killing, as there was no imminent threat to justify the use of such force. Evidence collected by DCIP repeatedly shows that Israeli forces employ lethal force against Palestinian children with impunity, blatantly violating international humanitarian and human rights law.