Under international law, intentional lethal force is only justified in circumstances where there is a direct threat to life or a threat of serious injury. However, evidence collected in DCIP’s investigations suggests that Israeli forces regularly use lethal force against Palestinian children in a manner that may amount to extrajudicial or willful killings.
Instead of holding perpetrators accountable, Israel is criminalizing the work that organizations like mine are doing to protect Palestinian children's rights.
May 26, 2021
On May 17, the Israeli army killed 17-year-old Obaidah Akram Abdel-Rahman Jawabreh, who was shot dead with a bullet to his heart in clashes with Palestinians that erupted in Al-Aroub refugee camp in the southern West Bank along the Hebron-Jerusalem road.
Jawabreh had appeared in a 2019 documentary prepared by the Defense for Children International - Palestine on children imprisoned by Israel. Human rights activists said the killing amounted to a targeting of Palestinian culture and children.
His cousin, Zain Jawabreh, 21, who was very close with the victim, told Al-Monitor, “Obaidah lived with his family at Al-Aroub refugee camp. He was the eldest among his seven siblings. He was a culinary student at Talitha Kumi Community College in Beit Jala, in the southern West Bank. He used to love cooking and swimming. He owned a food store at Al-Aroub camp and helped his father in supporting their family.”