The key facts

  • Volker Türk reported 245 Palestinian children killed in the West Bank since 7 October 2023
  • 41 children died in incidents linked to reports of stone-throwing
  • Türk demanded that the use of force be necessary and proportionate, and that violations be investigated

UN High Commissioner's figures

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday that since 7 October 2023, Israeli forces have killed 245 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank. According to him, 41 children died in incidents in which stone-throwing was reported. “The killing of a child is deserving of condemnation. The killing of a child for simply carrying or throwing stones is abhorrent,” Türk said.

Demand for accountability

Türk stressed that international law requires that any use of force be “necessary and proportionate to the threat,” and that violations must entail accountability. “There must be accountability for violations,” he said.

Context of violence in the West Bank

Since October 2023, Israeli military raids and attacks by Israeli settlers have intensified in the occupied West Bank; Palestinians, including children, have been killed and injured in individual incidents. On 8 November, Israeli forces injured a Palestinian child during a raid in the city of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank. Earlier, in May, UNICEF reported that at least 70 Palestinian children had been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the beginning of 2025, 93% of them by actions of Israeli forces.