Human Rights and Democracy Media Center- SHAMS, asserts that executing the child Ghassan Zahran (13 years old from Dair Abu Mishaal village- north Ramallah), on Tuesday 9/7/2024, is a full horrific crime committed by the Israeli forces. The crime stands as a sign of shame on the forehead of the Israeli criminal occupation. The Center added that the Israeli soldiers targeted a group of children at the entrance of the village, with live ammunition where child Zahran was shot in the stomach and his death was declared later on by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Killing the child in this way reflects the intentional policy of oppression and criminality applied by the Israeli army against Palestinian children all throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
SHAMS Center asserts that targeting children doubled several times, since October 7, 2023. Such a fact indicates clearly that the Israeli occupation is making use of the fact that the world is busy following on what is going on in the Gaza Strip, to proceed with the crimes against Palestinian children in the West Bank. Since that date, there have been 585 martyrs killed in the West Bank, including 137 children and the number of martyrs in Ramallah reached 55. It means that the Occupation State occupies the first position on the Black List of Countries that violate child rights whereas the United Nations inserted Israel in this list recently. The behavior of the Israeli forces reflects the insistence of the Occupation’s government on committing crimes against Palestinian children although, the United Nations blacklisted Israel as a country that violates child rights.
The Center asserts that the crimes of the occupation became a daily act that Palestinians face. Such crimes could not have been continued without the political coverage that some countries provide to the Occupation’s State and ensuring impunity and escaping punishment for the occupation government’s political and military leaders. This policy reveals that the supportive countries of the occupation, align with the crimes committed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. These countries are partnering in the crimes committed against Palestinians though they keep arguing for human rights and human values.
SHAMS Center affirms that the crime of murdering child Gassan Zahran represents a profound violation of international law and international human rights law. In particular, the occupation violates the Convention on Child Rights (20/11/1989) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (10/12/1948). Similarly, it violates the Geneva Fourth Convention (12/8/1949), which asserts the protection of children under war and conflicts as they are civilians and are not involved in hostile acts. Article 15 of the given Convention protects: “civilian persons who take no part in hostilities, and who, while they reside in the zones, perform no work of a military character”.
SHAMS Center urges the General Assembly and Security Council of the United Nations, high parties signatories of the Geneva Conventions, UNICEF, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children under Armed Conflicts, the Special United Nations Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and governmental/ nongovernmental organizations, to take immediate measures to protect Palestinian children and exert pressure on the occupation’s government to halt the crimes against Palestinian children and apply the Articles of the international law and international human rights law in treating Palestinian children.