The echoes of grief from the West Bank are being amplified by parents who are increasingly demanding justice for their children slain by Israeli forces. Since the Gaza conflict erupted on 7 October 2023, sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel, at least 235 Palestinian minors have been killed in the West Bank, with an additional five fatalities attributed to settlers, according to human rights organisations.
One harrowing incident involves nine-year-old Mohammad al-Halaq, who was fatally shot in the pelvis by an Israeli soldier on 16 October last year while playing football in a school playground near Hebron. His mother, Aliyah, recounted how her son had been overjoyed just hours earlier with a new school bag. Video footage reportedly shows a soldier exiting an army Jeep and firing towards a hilltop where some boys were watching, after which Mohammad collapsed.
A recent report by human rights group B'Tselem, 'Unshielded Childhood', sheds light on the killing of 54 Palestinian children and teenagers by Israeli forces in 2025 alone. Yuli Novak, executive director of B'Tselem, attributes this phenomenon to Israel's policy allowing 'the killing of Palestinians without accountability'. The system, she claims, provides a 'licence to kill', referencing remarks made by a senior military official.
The IDF has responded that the army does not intentionally target uninvolved civilians and investigates every allegation of harm. However, B'Tselem disputes Israeli assertions that 96% of those killed were involved in terrorism, branding it a 'blatant lie'. Their analysis found no evidence to suggest minors posed a threat or were part of militant groups.
The context for these tragic events includes the reported loosening of military rules of engagement in the West Bank since the Gaza conflict began. The region has also seen an increase in Israeli settler violence, which rights groups claim is often supported by the military.