By Patricia Martínez Sastre
Rihiya, West Bank (EFE).—Nine-year-old Mohamed al Halaq was playing football with friends when an Israeli soldier shot him in the abdomen on Oct. 16, killing him.
He is one of more than 200 Palestinian children killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, according to local health authorities and human rights groups. His family, like many others, is calling for accountability, though few cases result in prosecutions.
In the remote village of Rihiya, in southern Hebron, Mohamed’s mother, Alia, struggles to speak through tears as she sits in the family’s small living room.
Beside her, her six-year-old daughter Sila wipes her face and asks whether Mohamed can “come down from heaven” to walk her to school again.
“I want the soldier who killed Mohamed to be tried and punished so that no other Palestinian mother suffers this pain,” Alia told EFE. “My heart is broken.”
Rising child deaths under military operations
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the NGO Defense for Children Palestine, 45 Palestinian children have been killed so far in 2025 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, mostly by Israeli soldiers and in some cases by Israeli settlers.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, violence, raids, and home demolitions in the West Bank have escalated sharply, with more than 1,000 Palestinians killed, including 213 minors, according to UN humanitarian data (OCHA).
The Israeli military, which did not answer EFE’s requests for comment, told local media that troops fired at “suspects throwing stones” in Mohamed’s case. A military police investigation is underway; however, similar inquiries in the past have typically been closed without charges.
EFE reviewed statements from Israeli military spokespeople regarding 19 of the 46 documented child deaths this year.
In at least eight cases, the army described Palestinian minors as “terrorists,” often alleging they threw explosives, stones, or “bottles containing acid,” regardless of witness testimonies or video evidence.
“Palestinian children are labeled as terrorists, while Israeli or American children are not,” said Mohamed’s father, Bahjat. Pointing to Sila, he asked, “Why is her life valued less than others?”
Claims of systemic impunity
Human rights organizations say impunity remains widespread. The Israeli group B’Tselem, which obtained video showing Mohamed standing with his arms crossed shortly before being shot, says the killings reflect a broader policy.
“Soldiers operate with total impunity, including when they kill,” a B’Tselem spokesperson told EFE. “The message from Israeli leadership is that Palestinian lives are disposable.”
The spokesperson added that the organization views the pattern as part of a broader displacement strategy.
In one of the few investigations concluded this year, the military admitted misidentifying two cousins aged eight and 10, and a 23-year-old man, killed in January by a drone strike in a refugee camp in Tubas.
The army said it believed they were “adults planting an explosive device.” No explosives were found, and no criminal charges were brought.
Families grieve and seek recognition
Alia said a female Israeli officer arrived to document the scene after Mohamed’s death, but claims she threatened the family, warning they could face the same fate as displaced civilians in Gaza or Jenin, where more than 20,000 Palestinians have been forced from their homes in 2025.
Mohamed had dreamed of becoming a cardiologist. His mother shows a photo of him playing with a toy stethoscope. She finds solace in her faith.
“My son is alive with God. He is a martyr, and that is an honor,” she said. “But the pain is immense.” EFE
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