In another vicious act of violence, Israeli occupation forces raided a home in Jenin, killing a 58-year-old Palestinian woman, Faiza Ibrahim Abu Ghali, and then abducting her small grandchildren. The children were later dropped naked at Al-Jalamah checkpoint, north of Jenin, at the time before Iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan. The brutality of this attack indicates ongoing human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
According to local reports, Israeli forces stormed the home of Abu Ghali’s family at dawn, terrorizing residents and carrying out widespread destruction. Witnesses say the elderly woman was shot and killed during the raid, leaving her family in shock and grief.
After she was murdered, troops kidnapped several of her young grandchildren, among them 7-year-old Ibrahim Abu Ghali. The Palestinian Ministry of Health documented her death, as human rights organizations decried the mounting Israeli military brutality in Jenin and elsewhere in the occupied West Bank.
Once they had kidnapped the children, Israeli troops interrogated them, a move that is against international child protection regulations. What adds to the horror of the experience is their release later naked near the Al-Jalamah checkpoint, hours before Iftar.
Pictures and eye-witness testimonies depict a ghastly sight of traumatized, humiliated children left behind by the same authorities that illegally detained them. Their treatment sparked worldwide condemnation, with most terming it an outright violation of human rights and dignity.
The abduction, interrogation and mistreatment of children by Israeli forces directly breaches international human rights norms, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) that Israel signed. Internationally, the protection of children in the context of armed conflict is priority, and their detention, particularly in such a cruel manner, is prohibited.
In addition, the killing of Faiza Ibrahim Abu Ghali signifies the continued use of lethal force against civilians, another violation of international humanitarian law. The Geneva Conventions prohibit the targeting of civilians and mandate the protection of non-combatants, especially children and the elderly.
The attack at Jenin is not an isolated event. Palestinian households across the West Bank have suffered increasing military assaults, home demolitions, arbitrary arrest and extrajudicial killings. Israeli forces frequently use disproportionate force against Palestinians, including minors, say human rights organizations.
Even as recently as last year, organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have well-documented numerous instances of Palestinian children illegally detained, tortured, and murdered. Impunity from the Israeli military for pursuing such atrocities has prompted broad international condemnation but minimal concrete international action to bring these perpetrators to trial.
The latest attack has drawn fierce condemnation from Palestinian authorities and human rights groups. The murder of Abu Ghali and the brutality on her grandchildren was condemned by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society which monitors Israeli detentions referred to the incident as “one of the most horrific acts of child abuse committed by Israeli forces in recent history.”
While international pressure has grown, calls for accountability have increased. International agencies such as UNICEF and Amnesty International have already called upon Israel to cease its deliberate targeting of Palestinian civilians and children. Israeli forces persist in their operations with impunity, frequently protected from accountability by influential allies at the international level
The Jenin tragedy is another reminder of the suffering that Palestinians under occupation must endure on a daily basis. The death of a grandmother, illegal detention of children and their release humiliated is a symbol of dehumanization which has become synonymous with Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
This latest atrocity underscores the need for international intervention. The world cannot keep turning a blind eye to Israel’s systematic violations of human rights and international law. Perpetrators of such atrocities must be brought to book, and drastic measures must be taken to ensure the safety of Palestinian families and children
While Palestinians suffer these daily injustices, international activism and solidarity are as crucial as ever to the cause of justice and human rights. The voices of the oppressed must not be silenced, and calls for Israel’s occupation to cease must become louder than ever.
Israeli Forces Abduct and Abuse Palestinian Children After Killing Their Grandmother in Jenin
