By admin 
The last conversation Nassar al-Hammouni had with his 12-year-old son, Ayman, was filled with excitement. Ayman had recently joined a football team and was eager to sign up for karate lessons. He dreamed of becoming a doctor or an engineer, hoping to work alongside his father in construction. But just two days later, those dreams were shattered.
Ayman was fatally shot in Hebron, allegedly by Israeli forces, according to eyewitnesses.
Rising Violence Against Children in the West Bank
The killing of children in the West Bank has become disturbingly common, especially since the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intensified operations following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.
This year alone, about two Palestinian children are killed every week in the region. In 2024, 93 children have already lost their lives. Human rights groups warn that the situation is worsening as IDF operations expand from Gaza into the West Bank, forcing mass displacements, demolishing entire districts, and further loosening rules on the use of force.
Experts are calling this “Gazafication”, where military tactics from Gaza are now being applied to the West Bank, making violence the new normal.
Eyewitnesses Describe the Tragic Shooting
On Friday evening, Ayman and his 10-year-old brother, Aysar, accompanied their mother, Anwar, to visit their grandfather and uncles in Jabal Jawhar, a neighborhood in Hebron.
Around 6:30 PM, Ayman had just returned from an errand when gunfire erupted 60 meters away.
- A gunshot is heard, and a young man arrives in a white car with a bullet hole in the windshield and a minor shoulder injury.
- Ayman and his cousins step outside to observe.
- More gunfire follows, causing people to scatter. Ayman runs inside his uncle Tariq’s house.
- A final shot rings out—the one believed to have struck Ayman.
- Moments later, Israeli soldiers are seen advancing with rifles pointed, flashlights illuminating the alley.
- Ayman’s uncle, Nadeem al-Ajlouni, finds him collapsed on the stairs inside the house gate. He attempts to carry him to safety but drops him in panic.
- The soldiers arrive, scan the area, and then calmly walk away, leaving Ayman’s mother screaming in agony over her son’s body.
- Nadeem and Tariq eventually rush Ayman to a hospital, but it was too late.
Family and Witnesses Demand Justice
While the official autopsy report is still pending, human rights organization Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) reported that the bullet entered Ayman’s back and lodged in his lungs.
His father, Nassar, was in Ramallah when he received the devastating news. As he rushed back home, Israeli soldiers taunted him at a checkpoint, with one allegedly claiming, “Convince me that I shot him for nothing.”
The Israeli military (IDF) has not commented on Ayman’s killing. Historically, investigations into Palestinian civilian deaths have led to little to no accountability. A 2019 case, where a soldier killed a 14-year-old, resulted in only one month of community service.
According to Israeli rights group Yesh Din, the probability of an Israeli soldier facing prosecution for killing a Palestinian is just 0.4%—meaning only one case in 219 results in a charge.
Aysar Returns to School Without His Older Brother
On Wednesday, Ayman’s younger brother, Aysar, returned to school for the first time since the tragedy. Unable to bear seeing his brother’s empty classroom, his father requested a transfer to a different class.
Nassar, still grieving, reflected on the increasing violence:
“It’s about rage and revenge. They don’t care if it’s a child, a woman, or an old person. No one is safe anymore.”
Gill Bikram Singh