An international children’s rights group has accused Israeli forces of committing grave human rights violations against two Palestinian boys in the occupied West Bank, including forced stripping, psychological abuse, and arbitrary detention—following the fatal shooting of their grandmother during a military raid.
According to Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCIP), the incident occurred on March 10 in a village west of Jenin, when Israeli troops raided the area. During the operation, 7-year-old Ibrahim Abu Ghali and 13-year-old Omar Mohammed Dirar Zaben were visiting their grandparents’ home when their grandmother stepped outside to listen for the morning call to prayer.
DCIP alleges that Israeli soldiers opened fire, killing the elderly woman. In the moments that followed, the two boys and their grandfather were reportedly forced at gunpoint to strip down to their underwear.
The organization says the trio were then bound with cable ties and made to sit outside in the cold for approximately an hour, exposed and vulnerable. They were later pushed either to the ground or onto a military vehicle—still nearly naked—and taken to an undisclosed location for interrogation.
“Forcing young children to strip, detaining them in degrading conditions, and subjecting them to psychological terror is a clear violation of international law and amounts to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP.
The boys were allegedly held in military custody for nearly 12 hours before being returned to their home in the same condition they were taken—in their underwear. Upon their return, they learned that their grandmother had died from the gunshot wounds inflicted during the raid.
The allegations have sparked outrage from rights groups and are likely to increase scrutiny on Israel's military operations in the West Bank, particularly regarding the treatment of minors during arrests and raids.
International law prohibits the cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees, and child protection advocates argue the described actions may amount to war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and other international statutes.
Israeli authorities have yet to issue a public response to the accusations.
The incident adds to a growing number of reported abuses involving Palestinian children caught in the crossfire of Israel’s military operations. Rights organisations have long called for independent investigations into such incidents and for greater accountability in the treatment of civilians, especially minors, in conflict zones.
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