In the few moments of silence after the shootings, before he was dragged from the family car, 12-year-old Khaled Bani Odeh thought he was the only member of his family left alive. Seconds before, his parents and two youngest brothers had been shot dead through the windscreen by Israeli forces, as they drove home after a family shopping trip in the occupied West Bank. Among the dead was six-year-old Othman - blind and disabled - killed while sitting on his mother's lap.
My mother cried out one last time before going quiet, Khaled said. My father recited the Shahada [the Islamic declaration of faith] as he died. When Israeli forces tried to drag his only surviving brother, Mustafa, from the car, Khaled said he tried to intervene. They pulled me out instead and began jumping on my back, he recounted.
The family's tragic ordeal highlights the increasing violence against Palestinians since the escalation of conflicts. The United Nations office for humanitarian affairs has reported significant fatalities among Palestinians since the deterioration of the situation post-October 2023, including over 233 children.
This incident has generated further scrutiny and criticism of Israeli military actions, with calls for accountability and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Khaled's family.
My mother cried out one last time before going quiet, Khaled said. My father recited the Shahada [the Islamic declaration of faith] as he died. When Israeli forces tried to drag his only surviving brother, Mustafa, from the car, Khaled said he tried to intervene. They pulled me out instead and began jumping on my back, he recounted.
The family's tragic ordeal highlights the increasing violence against Palestinians since the escalation of conflicts. The United Nations office for humanitarian affairs has reported significant fatalities among Palestinians since the deterioration of the situation post-October 2023, including over 233 children.
This incident has generated further scrutiny and criticism of Israeli military actions, with calls for accountability and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Khaled's family.
