Israeli forces kill two Palestinian teenagers in occupied East Jerusalem

Israeli security forces respond with lethal force to Palestinians resisting the daily harassment they face under Israeli occupation. The Israeli forces routinely call this resistance “terrorism” in order to justify the killings

March 07, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch
Israeli forces kill Palestinian teen
16-years-old Yamen Jaffal was shot dead by Israeli forces near a military post at Abu Dis in occupied Jerusalem. (Photo: Zena Tahhan/Twitter)

On Sunday, March 6, at least two Palestinian teenagers were killed in less than 24 hours by the Israeli security forces in different parts of occupied East Jerusalem. Sunday’s killings takes the total number of Palestinians killed this year so far to over a dozen, with over 800 others wounded. 

16-years-old Yamen Jaffal was shot dead by Israeli forces near a military post at Abu Dis in occupied Jerusalem late night on Sunday. According to eyewitnesses, he was killed by the Israeli security forces in cold blood. Witnesses also claim that the Israeli forces prevented paramedics from treating Jaffal and fired teargas at the ambulance while it was approaching to take him. 

The Israeli forces took the teenager’s body after shooting him at close range with live bullets. They later informed the family members of his death. According to the claims made by Israel’s military spokesperson, Jaffal was allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails on the military post when he was shot dead. 

After Jaffal’s killing, Palestinians took to the streets in large numbers in protest. The Israeli forces resorted to the use of tear gas and rubber bullets to attack the protesters, leading to several injuries, according to Wafa news agency. 

Earlier on the same day, Israeli security forces killed 19-year-old Palestinian teenager Kareem Jamal Qawasmi. He was shot dead by Israeli security forces in the Bab Hutta neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli security forces claimed that Qawasmi was shot by the guards after he tried to stab security forces personnel stationed near the Bab Hutta gate which leads to the Al-Aqsa mosque. Israel called the alleged stabbing of its security forces at Bab Hutta a “terrorist act”.  

Incidents such as these, wherein Israeli forces shoot (and often kill) Palestinians with little or no provocation are commonplace in the occupied territories, especially near the numerous check points established by the Israeli forces in and around occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in the name of security. These checkpoints primarily serve to hamper the free movement of Palestinians. If Palestinians express their opposition to the harassment they face at these security posts, Israeli forces often respond with heavy and lethal force.

Arrests and raids carried out by Israeli forces are also often sites of violence against Palestinians. At least three Palestinians were killed on March 1 in such incidents in Jenin and Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), in 2022 until February 21, Israeli security forces killed at least eight Palestinians and wounded over 800 of them in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank alone.