Too dangerous to play: Dozens of West Bank children killed by Israel forces
Mother of 14-year-old Palestinian boy allegedly shot in the back by Israeli soldiers says that children can no longer go outside safely by themselves
Haitham’s mother, Nasreen al-Baw, denies that her son was throwing rocks when he was killed (Abed al Qaisi)
Luaiy al-Baw said his nephew Haitham was more interested in animals and football than politics (Abed al-Qaisi) - Haitam’s cousin Hamood told MEE that he no longer ventures far from home to play with his friends (Abed al Qaisi)
Sheren Khalel-Sunday 13 March 2016
Mother of 14-year-old Palestinian boy allegedly shot in the back by Israeli soldiers says that children can no longer go outside safely by themselves
Haitham’s mother, Nasreen al-Baw, denies that her son was throwing rocks when he was killed (Abed al Qaisi)
Luaiy al-Baw said his nephew Haitham was more interested in animals and football than politics (Abed al-Qaisi) - Haitam’s cousin Hamood told MEE that he no longer ventures far from home to play with his friends (Abed al Qaisi)
Sheren Khalel-Sunday 13 March 2016
HALHUL, West Bank – Parents in the occupied West Bank say they can no longer allow their children to play outside because of fears that they could be shot dead by Israeli forces.
A report published this month by a children's rights group said that 41 children had been shot dead during six months of upheaval in which Israeli forces have often responded with lethal force to scores of stabbing and shooting attacks by Palestinians.
Nasreen al-Baw, the mother of 14-year-old Haitham al-Baw who was killed by Israeli soldiers on 5 February, told Middle East Eye that her son had died instantly after being shot in the back while playing on a hillside with his cousin and another teenager and his two new dogs.
Israel security forces said Haitham had been throwing stones at passing cars on the outskirts of Halhul village near Hebron, a statement Nasreen al-Baw denied.
“My son was the oldest of four, and our only son,” she said. “He was very responsible. He had a kind soul that fell for every animal he met, from the chickens to the donkeys and the dogs and cats in our neighbourhood. He didn’t have violence in him.”
According to the Defence of Children International-Palestine (DCIP), which compiled the report into child deaths, an autopsy showed that Haitham had been struck in the back by bullets which pierced his lungs and chest and exited through his mouth.
Haitham's cousin, 16-year-old Wajdi Saada, was tackled and arrested, while the other teenager ran away.
Nasreen al-Baw said she now only allowed her three younger children to leave the family home to go to school, or if they are accompanied by an adult.
“Here the children used to come and go as they pleased. They didn’t sit inside all day on computers, they go would go out and play with their friends after school, but that is not our reality anymore,” she said.
“It’s just too dangerous to let the children out of the house without us. We know now that anything can happen under occupation. A day in a field with a dog can mean death.”
Luaiy al-Baw, Haitham’s uncle, said he had frequently spoken to his nephew about the wave of unrest and warned him to be careful and to stay away from violence.
“I never got the feeling that he was too interested in what was going on though,” he told MEE, sitting in the family’s living room filled with photos and memorial posters of Haitham. “He was more interested in his pets and playing football.”
Five days after Haitham's death, 16-year-old Omar Jawabra was shot dead by Israeli forces when clashes broke out as they entered the nearby al-Arroub refugee camp.
