In the series of perpetual clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants, a dreadful incident of a Palestinian toddler and his father being injured by the Israeli military has grabbed the attention. The Israeli military, however, claims that the attack had been fortuitous. The child, in critical condition, was rushed to the hospital.
Figure 1 Image Source: Reuters
How did the toddler get injured?
It is not unprecedented that Israel makes headlines for some or other reason incessantly. The friction between Israel and Palestine has become a daily affair. This also indicates that violence leads to bloodshed with every passing day.
Figure 2 Image Source: CBS News
Friday morning, amidst the skirmishes between the Israeli military and Palestinian side, a two-year-old child and his father have been injured badly. They were shot close by an Israeli military checkpoint northwest of the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Bilal Tamimi, a local activist, told the official Palestinian news agency WAFA that Israeli forces by way of camouflaging a vehicle at the entrance to Nabi Saleh village on Thursday night, fired at the car, thereby leaving a child and his fathers in wounds.
The man was sent to a Palestinian hospital immediately while the kid after resuscitation by an Israeli medic was transferred to Israel’s Sheba hospital. According to the doctors, the condition of the little boy is quite fragile.
The Israeli military released a statement covered by Israeli newspaper Haaretz, where it is claimed that it was the Palestinian fighters who were firing at one of the Jewish settlements and therefore, they retaliated with gunfire which unintentionally hit two Palestinians – a man and his son. The military also said that the incident was being investigated, saying “it regrets harm to non-combatants” and that it does “everything in its power to prevent such incidents.”
The incident spurs protests
The violence by the Israeli military sparked protests at the entrance of Nabi Saleh. Naji Tamimi, the head of Nabi Saleh Village Council, said that Israeli soldiers had shut the iron gate at the village entrance, stormed the neighborhoods, and unleashed terror on the protesters. The two young Palestinian men were injured by rubber-coated steel bullets.
Figure 3 Image Source: Quds News Network
One of those men was a local activist, who was shot while capturing the infiltration using his cell phone. This has become a regular scene in Israeli-occupied territories. Just two days ago, 40 Palestinians were wounded when a refugee camp in the suburbs of Nablus, a West Bank city was invaded by Israeli forces.
According to the Associated Press, approximately 120 have been killed this year in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Half of them belong to militancy groups. However, common people have also lost their lives. Peace is nowhere near as such bloody incidents happen constantly.
Israel occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in the June War of 1967 after which it bolstered Jewish settlements in the occupied territories and continuously lashes at the Palestinians. The peace negotiations which have been dragged over the years are at a standstill. Moreover, since the inception of the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the trust deficit has accelerated without any optimistic light. The peace processes have been violated by both the opposing parties.
Confidence-building measures are not fulfilled sincerely. The prolonged struggle between both communities has soured the relations for decades. In this power dynamics, common people are suffering each day, and many lose their precious lives.
