ReliefWeb

January 2013 - Overview

In January, two Palestinian children were killed by Israeli soldiers using live ammunition. On 15 January, Sameer Awad (16) was shot near the Wall in Budrus, Ramallah, and died shortly after. Salah Amarin (15) died five days after having been shot in the head near Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem.

According to OCHA, six Palestinian civilians have been killed by Israeli forces in 2013.
Palestinian children living in villages located near Israeli settlements continue to be exposed to settler and soldier violence. On 1 January, Israeli soldiers injured two Palestinian boys as Israeli settlers uprooted olive trees and clashed with Palestinians near Qusra,
Nablus. A 16-year-old was struck with a rubber bullet and a 17-year-old boy was hit in the head by a tear gas canister.

On 23 January, a 17-year-old boy from Kufr Qaddum was stopped by Israeli forces at Huwwara checkpoint near Nablus and physically and verbally assaulted.
He was threatened with arrest if he is found participating in weekly demonstrations, which are organised by individuals in his village.

A report issued by the UN FactFinding Mission on Israeli Settlements found that Israeli settlements violate international law and suggests that settlements represent a „creeping annexation‟ of the Occupied Palestinian Territory. On 25 October 2012, DCI and WCLAC submitted a joint report to the UN FFM that examined the impact of settlements on women and children, specifically child detention and settler violence.