The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has expressed its “deeply saddened” by the killing of 15-year-old Palestinian Imad Saleh Hashash from Balata refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces on August 24.
According to initial reports, UNRWA said that Imad, who’s a ninth-grade student at the UNRWA Balata Boys’ School 1, was standing on the roof of his home when he was shot in the head with Israeli live ammunition. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
“UNRWA calls on the ISF [Israeli occupation forces] to exercise restraint in their use of force and to minimize casualties,” said UNRWA in a statement issued on Thursday.
UNRWA said that Imad’s killing adds to the “ever-growing number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli forces.”
In 2021 alone, the Israeli forces killed 59 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, including 22 refugees and 13 children, it said, adding some 984 Palestinians have been injured by live fire since the beginning of the year.
UNRWA has also called on the Israeli occupation authorities to “investigate these fatalities, the use of live ammunition and to hold accountable those that violate international standards.”
“Until the Israeli military control over Palestinian civilians’ ceases, Israeli military forces must protect the lives and ensure the dignity of Palestinians living under their control,” it said.