Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Family in West Bank, Sparking Outcry
Tammoun, Occupied West Bank – Israeli forces killed a Palestinian couple and their two young children in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, an incident Amnesty International has condemned as potentially an extrajudicial execution and part of a disturbing pattern of escalating violence.
Waed Bani Owda, her husband Ali Bani Owda, and their children, Othman, 7, and Mohammed, 5, were shot and killed in Tammoun, according to reports and a statement released by Amnesty International. The Israeli military unit involved reportedly disguised themselves as Palestinians and used a vehicle with Palestinian license plates before opening fire on the family’s car.
“This horrific incident is the latest in a pattern of increasing use of deadly force by Israeli forces against Palestinians,” said Heba Morayef, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International. “Tragically, we continue to see families and children paying the price. The Israeli military has failed to show that the family posed any threat when it was shot.”
Two other children in the vehicle were injured in the attack and are reportedly traumatized by witnessing the killings.
The incident comes amid a surge in violence in the West Bank since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28th. Amnesty International reports that 11 unarmed Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the occupied West Bank during that period.
Since October 7, 2023, a total of 1,071 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank, including 233 children, according to data from OCHA.
Amnesty International is calling for an urgent, thorough, independent, and impartial investigation into the attack on the Bani Owda family and all other unlawful killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces or settlers. The organization asserts that such killings constitute grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention and may amount to war crimes.
“Wilful killings of Palestinians by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitute war crimes,” Morayef stated. “Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable; Palestinian victims must have justice and redress.”
The organization also highlighted Israel’s history of failing to protect Palestinians and independently investigate alleged offenses, citing a pattern of impunity for human rights violations, including war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Amnesty International further pointed to Israel’s consistent failure to protect Palestinians from settler attacks and, in some cases, the direct involvement of Israeli forces in such attacks.
Amnesty International is urging states with influence over Israel to take tangible measures to end Israel’s impunity and bring an end to its occupation of the OPT and its system of apartheid against Palestinians.
