News / Palestine

UNICEF ‘deeply saddened’ by Israeli killing of Palestinian teens

Sunday, 10 February 2019 10:35 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 10 February 2019 10:59 AM ]

Mourners carry the body of Palestinian teen Hasan Shalabi, 14, who was killed during a protest at the Gaza fence, during his funeral on February 9, 2019. (Photo by Reuters)

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed sorrow over the recent killing of two Palestinian teenage boys by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip, calling for an end to violence against children.

Hamza Shtewi, 17 or 18, and Hasan Shalabi, 14, were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Gaza on Friday during “The Great March of Return” weekly protests.

In a statement released on Saturday, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Geert Cappelaere said that the agency was “deeply saddened” by the killings.

“This is another stark reminder of the significant violence that children in the state of Palestine continue to endure. As we mark 30 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is essential that the fundamental rights of children be respected,” he added.

PressTV-Israeli forces shoot, kill 2 Palestinian teens in Gaza

The teens were of 14 and 17 years of age.

Cappelaere further called for an end to violence against children in the occupied territories.

“It is time that violence against children ends [sic],” he said. “Children are children. They must be protected at all times. Children should never be a target. Nor should they be exposed to any form of violence, by any party.”

In video - Funeral processions of 2 killed minors set off in Gazahttps://t.co/NCSOYJ0k0A pic.twitter.com/oJmgRvsJxM
— Ma'an News Agency (@MaanNewsAgency) February 9, 2019

On Saturday, thousands of Palestinians attended the funerals of the slain Gazan teens.

The March of Return demonstrations are held every week to demand the right to return of the Palestinians driven out of their homeland by Israeli aggression. They also demand a halt to Israel’s inhumane blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of many basic commodities.

Israeli forces use live ammunition against protesters in Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has been under a crippling siege since 2007 and witnessed three wars since 2008.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk