News / Palestine

UNRWA denounced Israel's killing of Palestinian school children in Jenin raid

Wednesday, 21 June 2023 7:22 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 21 June 2023 7:31 PM ]

Palestinian school girls mourn during the funeral of their classmate 15-year-old Sadil Naghnaghiya, in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on June 21, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has condemned in the strongest terms the killing of Palestine school children by the Israeli military during a brutal raid on the occupied northern West Bank city of Jenin earlier this week.

“Daily life in the West Bank is becoming untenable. Students will return to school to see the empty seats of their now deceased friends. Shopkeepers will need to start their days repairing damage from the violence. Health professionals will try to support numerous traumatized refugees," UNRWA said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement followed a deadly Israeli raid on Jenin that took the lives of seven Palestinians, including two school children. At least 90 Palestinians were injured with live bullets and several were in critical condition.

The UN agency identified the children as a 15-year-old boy who was a Grade 9 student at the UNRWA-run Jenin Boys Preparatory School, and a 14-year-old girl in Grade 8 at the Jenin Girls School.

The events on June 19 also caused extensive damage to at least 75 refugee homes.

“UNRWA is continuing to assess damage and disruptions to its installations and services,” it said.

The UN agency expressed alarm at the rising number of deaths among Palestinians across the occupied territories.

“UNRWA has already recorded the highest number of Palestine Refugee fatalities, including the highest number of child refugee fatalities, in a single year since 2005 when the UN started systematically documenting them. The highest refugee fatality figures prior to this year were recorded in 2022,” the statement noted.

Israel’s shoot-to-kill policy denounced

A human rights group says it has documented at least ten cases of Israeli soldiers gunning down peaceful Palestinian protesters across the occupied territories.

“Immediate measures are needed to avoid further escalating violence within refugee camps and prevent further loss of life,” the UN agency said.

Tensions have been running high in the occupied West Bank over the past year, with the Israeli military carrying out violent raids under the pretext of arresting what it calls “wanted” Palestinians.

These attacks have resulted in nearly 170 Palestinian deaths, including 28 children, and many arrests in 2023.

Human rights groups have documented several cases of Israeli soldiers shooting peaceful Palestinian protesters across the occupied territories. Palestinians demand that such cases be brought to international courts and that Israelis be held accountable for their atrocities.

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