RAMALLAH, Sunday, May 12, 2024 (WAFA) – Defense for
Children International (DCI) has documented instances of
the Israeli occupation forces using three children as
human shields during their recent incursion into the
Tulkarm refugee camp on May 5-6.
In a statement released today, DCI recounted the
testimonies of the three children, each telling their
ordeal separately. The children described how Israeli
soldiers forced them to walk ahead of them in the alleys
of the camp while homes were being searched and
residents instructed to leave. In two instances,
soldiers allegedly placed their rifles on the shoulders
of two children and fired shots.
Thirteen-year-old Kareem, in his testimony to DCI,
described how around 30 soldiers stormed his family's
apartment on the morning of May 6, detaining them in one
room before forcing him to lead them through the
apartment and into other rooms. He was then taken to the
fourth floor of the building along with his family and
found all residents of the building held there.
Kareem recounted how soldiers took him to the staircase
accompanied by a large police dog, and while walking,
one soldier placed his rifle on Kareem's shoulder and
fired two shots towards an apartment door. Kareem
tearfully pleaded with the soldiers, who shouted at him
to be silent.
After searching the apartments, Kareem asked the
soldiers where they were taking him. He was told in
Arabic that he would accompany them and show them the
way, in addition to opening doors of neighboring homes.
Upon reaching the first floor where his grandmother was
unable to climb to the fourth floor due to her age and
health, a verbal altercation ensued between her and the
soldiers. Kareem described being exhausted and unable to
stand due to the beating and fear inflicted upon him. He
remained detained with other residents until around 7
p.m. that day, during which time they were not allowed
to eat.
Similar incidents unfolded with 12-year-old Mohammad,
whose family decided to seek refuge in the apartment of
relatives in the camp upon hearing that Israeli soldiers
had stormed and surrounded the area. Their relatives'
apartment was located on the second floor of a building.
Mohammad recounted that around 8 a.m. on Monday, May 6,
Israeli soldiers barged into the apartment and ordered
those inside to leave. Despite his mother's pleas and
desperate attempts to free him from the soldiers' grip,
they forcibly separated him from his family.
"I remained alone with the soldiers after they
instructed my mother and siblings to climb to the fourth
floor of the building. I started crying and trembling
with fear because I didn't know what they would do to
me. They were armed, masked, and their appearance was
terrifying, accompanied by a large police dog making
frightening noises," Mohammad said.
He continued, "Afterward, they asked me to knock on the
doors of the residential apartments in the building
while they stood closely behind me, somewhat distanced.
I had to ask the residents to leave. When we reached the
door of one of the apartments and found it empty, the
soldiers blew up the door and forced me to enter alone
to inspect it. After informing them that it was empty,
they entered, while I remained detained by one of the
soldiers at the door of that apartment."
The same sequence of events repeated with 14-year-old
Ibrahim, who stated to that on the morning of May 6, at
around 9:30 a.m., Israeli soldiers stormed his family's
home in the Tulkarm camp in a "brutal and terrifying
manner," searching and vandalizing their belongings.
He added, "A group of soldiers took me to one of the
rooms and began interrogating me. When I told them I
knew nothing, one of them threatened me in Arabic and
said (I'll smash you if you don't talk). Then he
physically assaulted me for several minutes before
handcuffing my hands behind my back with a plastic tie.
They then took me outside and asked me to walk in front
of the soldiers."
"I was trembling with fear and terror. At first, I
thought they wanted to arrest me, but they asked me to
walk in front of them in the alleys of the Al-Sawalme
neighborhood in the camp. They would hide in the alley
and ask me to show the way. After that, they released my
hands, and every time we passed by a house or building,
they would ask me to enter and ask the residents to
leave and head towards the soldiers, after which they
would raid those homes. During the raids, they would ask
me to open the internal doors of the houses and
apartments."
After about two hours, the soldiers took Ibrahim to a
house in the camp and detained him with the occupants
until their withdrawal from the camp, he reported.
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