Israel killing Palestinian children in the West Bank at highest rate since 1967, B’Tselem says
Middle East Eye reports on 29 June 2026:kil
Israeli forces are killing Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank at the highest rate since 1967, with 54 shot dead in 2025, B’Tselem said on Monday.
The Israeli human rights group said nearly one in four Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territory since October 2023 has been a minor, marking the highest proportion since the occupation began.
Despite the high child death toll, no one has been held accountable and there are no known indictments linked to the killings since October 2023.
B’Tselem said the deaths were not “isolated mistakes or violations of military orders”. Instead, it said they were the result of an Israeli policy that permits lax rules of engagement, routinely labels Palestinians as “terrorists”, and shields soldiers who use lethal force.
“The widespread, unprecedented killing of Palestinian children and teenagers in the West Bank is the result of a broader Israeli policy that enables the killing of Palestinians with virtually no accountability,” B’Tselem’s Executive Director Yuli Novak said. “When the military commander of the area boasts that Israel is killing Palestinians ‘like we haven’t killed since 1967,’ he is confirming exactly that: the system does not merely back those who pull the trigger – it effectively grants them a licence to kill.”
‘Green light’ to kill children
Earlier this year, Israel’s top military commander in the occupied West Bank, Avi Bluth, said the army was killing Palestinians at levels “not seen since 1967”. He made the remarks in a closed forum, where he also defended looser rules of engagement allowing troops to open fire on unarmed Palestinians.