Yumna Patel
Mondoweiss / February 7, 2023
Hamza Ashqar, 16, reportedly threw a piece of metal towards the army vehicles almost 100 feet away, when an Israeli soldier fired two fatal shots at him from inside one of the vehicles.
A 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed in Nablus on Tuesday morning, making him the sixth Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank in the span of 24 hours.
According to Defense for Children International Palestine (DCIP), 16-year-old Hamza Ashqar was shot and killed by Israeli forces at around 3:20 am Tuesday morning during an Israeli military incursion into the Al-Masaken al-Sha’bya neighborhood of Nablus.
Ashqar and a group of boys from the New Askar refugee camp were confronting Israeli forces with rocks and other objects, which they threw towards military vehicles as the army withdrew from the area.
Hamza reportedly threw a piece of metal towards the army vehicles from a distance of close to 100 feet, when an Israeli soldier fired two shots at him from inside one of the military vehicles.
Hamza was struck with both bullets, one in his mouth and one on the left side of his waist. DCIP added that he was evacuated in a private vehicle to the Rafidia Surgical Hospital in Nablus, and was pronounced dead at around 3:45 am.
“Israeli forces routinely resort to intentional lethal force in situations not justified under international law and make no effort to impartially investigate or ensure that Israeli soldiers act in accordance with international standards,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces’ near-daily incursions into Palestinian communities too often result in an Israeli soldier’s bullet in a Palestinian child’s body.”
According to DCIP, Hamza was the ninth Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces since the start of the year.
His killing comes the day after Israeli forces launched a deadly incursion into the Aqbat Jaber refugee camp and the surrounding areas in Jericho, killing five Palestinian fighters who were accused of carrying out an attempted shooting near an illegal Israeli settlement late last month.
Israeli forces have killed 42 Palestinians so far this year, with an average of more than one Palestinian killed every day.
Yumna Patel is the Palestine News Director for Mondoweiss
