HRW raps Israel over killing Palestinian teenagers

In January 2013, Samir Awad was shot three times in the leg, back and head. The 16-year-old was about 250 meters away from his school when he was shot.
 
Also in December 2013 an Israeli soldier shot dead 16-year-old Wajih al-Ramahi in an area between his school and a market.
 
    “Twice this year, Israeli soldiers hiding near schools, apparently to make arrests, have killed children who posed no apparent threat,” said Joe Stork, the deputy Middle East and North Africa director at HRW on Sunday.
 
The HRW said there was no justification for the use of live ammunitions in either of the cases.
 
“An attack on a civilian that is carried out intentionally or recklessly is a war crime,” HRW said in a statement on its website.
 
Last week, another Palestinian teenager also died of the wounds he sustained after being shot by Israeli soldiers near the Gaza border.
 
According to Israeli and Palestinian officials, the 16-year-old, identified as Adnan Abu Khater, succumbed to his wounds on January 3 a day after Israeli forces shot him in the leg in the Jabalia city, located four kilometers north of Gaza City.
 
Israel has recently intensified its military operations on the besieged Gaza Strip. The Israeli military frequently targets Palestinians along the border with Gaza, which has remained literally cut off from the outside world by a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007.
 
Israel also frequently bombs the coastal enclave, claiming the attacks are being conducted for defensive purposes. However, disproportionate force is always used, in violation of international law, and civilians are often killed or injured.