Israel/OPT: Killing of Bani Owda family highlights alarming rise in lethal force in the West Bank – ‘Palestinians must have justice’

Responding to the shooting and killing of Waed Bani Owda, her husband Ali, and two of their young children - Othman, 7, and Mohammed, 5 - after an Israeli military unit posing as Palestinians riddled their car with bullets in Tammoun in the occupied West Bank, Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Director, said:

“This horrific incident is the latest in a pattern of increasing use of deadly force by Israeli forces against Palestinians and 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. We are deeply concerned that initial information and testimonies suggest the attack may amount to an extrajudicial execution.

“Their two other children who were in the car at the time of the attack were injured and will live with the trauma of witnessing the killing of their family for the rest of their lives.

“There must be an urgent thorough independent and impartial investigation into this appalling attack on the Bani Owda family and all other unlawful killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces or settlers.

“Wilful killings of Palestinians by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention and constitute war crimes. Those responsible for these killings must be held accountable; Palestinian victims must have justice and redress.”

Since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February, Israeli soldiers or state-backed settlers have killed 11 unarmed Palestinians across the occupied West Bank. According to OCHA, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank reached 1071 since 7 October 2023, including 233 children. States with influence over Israel must adopt tangible measures to demonstrate that they will no longer grant Israel impunity for its institutionalised violence against Palestinians and to bring an end Israel’s unlawful occupation of the OPT and its cruel system of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights it controls.

Israel has a long history of failing to protect Palestinians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory or to independently investigate and prosecute offences against despite its legal obligations as an occupying power. Impunity for the human rights violations, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, committed by Israeli forces and authorities against Palestinians is part of Israel’s cruel system of apartheid. This also includes Israel’s appalling and consistent failure to protect Palestinians from settler attacks, and in some cases the direct involvement of Israeli forces in such brutal attacks.