The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is deeply concerned by the killing of another Palestine refugee child byIsraeli gunfire. According to initial reports, Mohammad Daadas, a 15-year-old Palestine refugee child from Askar refugee camp was fatally injured by Israeli Security Force (ISF) live fire in the abdomen, on 5 November 2021. Protests were on-going in the nearby village of Deir al-Hatab against Elon Moreh, an illegal Israeli settlement built on lands seized from neighbouring Palestinian villages.
Mohammad's killing adds to the ever-growing number of Palestinians, including minors, killed by Israeli forces, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Just over two months ago, a 15-year-old refugee boy was killed by an Israeli soldier in Balata Camp. In 2021, the ISF killed 69 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including 27 refugees and 16 children by live ammunition. Some 1,134 Palestinians have been injured by live fire since the beginning of the year.
UNRWA calls on the ISF to cease use of live ammunition against unarmed civilians who pose no immediate danger to life and to exercise maximum restraint in their use of force of other non-lethal weapons. The use of excessive force and live ammunition targeting children must stop. All children have a right to life and must be protected.
UNRWA also calls on Israel to investigate these fatalities and to hold accountable those who violate international standards. Without thorough and transparent investigations, concerns over continued impunity for serious international law violations remain. As an occupying force, Israeli military forces are obligated to protect the lives and ensure the dignity of Palestinians living under their control.
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency's programme budget. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.7 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
