He was only an eight-year-old boy. His name was Adam Samer al-Gul and he was shot yesterday in Jenin (West Bank) by an Israeli army sniper, as reported by the Palestinian National Authority (ANP). Abu al-Wafa was 15 years old and died in the same way, almost at the same time. The deaths of these two minors were recorded on videos recorded by security cameras and did not take long to go viral, through social networks and Arab news channels, which generated particular indignation in the East medium
In the images, Adam is seen, unarmed, running down a Jenín street with other boys, apparently participating in skirmishes with the military. Until he gets shot and falls to the ground. Another boy drags him out of danger behind a car, but he leaves a trail of blood and seems lifeless. In the other video, Abu is seen, also surrounded by boys, holding a not very large object and making the gesture of wanting to light it, unsuccessfully, when he is shot and falls to the ground while around him 'watches a rain of bullets. The boy complains of pain, tries to move, but can't and finally remains motionless.
The children "were killed by the bullets of the Israeli occupier", the Ministry of Health of the ANP denounced. To questions from La Vanguardia, the press office of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF, by its acronym in English) answered this without confirming that it was the children: "During the actions of the IDF in the field ( of refugees) from Jenin, several suspects threw explosive devices at IDF soldiers. The soldiers responded with live fire towards the suspects." Earlier, the army said it had killed "two high-ranking terrorists", two suspected members of the Brigades, fueling outrage among camp residents.
While the war in Gaza was stopped by the truce, in the other occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank, the army intensified operations. The raid on Jenin in which Adam and Abu were killed began on Tuesday afternoon and lasted for more than fifteen hours until noon yesterday, during which the city remained under siege and the military practiced "dozens of arrests", as he told La Vanguardia, from Jenin, a Palestinian social activist, who explained that the troops surrounded three of the city's main hospitals - the government hospital, the Ibn Sina and the Al- Marah– and they prevented its entry and exit.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported that its staff were unable to act to help those injured in the Israeli attack and that for several hours no one was allowed to reach the hospitals. Luz Saavedra, coordinator of MSF in Jenin, sent an audio message to the press in which she explained that the soldiers came to enter the emergency areas of the hospitals and that at least eight bullet wounds - some in the head - they ended up entering it eventually. "In these conditions we cannot do our work, neither medical nor humanitarian", declared Saavedra.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the ceasefire was in its last hours, although negotiations continued in Qatar last night to extend it, as happened on Monday, when the initial four days of truce became six, after the 48 hour extension. If there was no agreement, the war would resume at 7am today (6am in Spain), which is the time the fighting stopped on Friday. Nevertheless, Hamas gave indications during yesterday afternoon that the extension would be agreed. Despite the truce, however, Israeli soldiers killed three armed Palestinians in Gaza yesterday who constituted "a threat", according to IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari.
The cease-fire would be temporary, although during these six days of truce international pressure has intensified on the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the cessation of hostilities to be definitive. But Netanyahu made it clear again yesterday that this will not happen. “In recent days I have heard a question: After completing this stage of returning our hostages, will Israel return to fighting? My answer is an unequivocal yes," the prime minister said in a statement. "There is no situation in which we will not fight again until the end. This is my policy," added Netanyahu.
The prime minister again insisted that the war will not stop until Hamas is eliminated from Gaza. And in this sense, Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, also ruled out a permanent truce which, he said, would only serve to prop up "Hamas's reign of terror".
Yesterday Hamas released two hostages of Russian nationality, in a gesture towards President Vladimir Putin. Unlike other times, these releases occurred independently and a few hours before those of the ten new Israeli and four Thai abductees, in exchange for the release of another 30 Palestinian prisoners in the West Bank. The sixth exchange of hostages for prisoners took place late and at the stroke of midnight.
On the other hand, Hamas reported yesterday that three hostages kidnapped in the terrorist attack of October 7 died as a result of the Israeli bombings. It would be about Shiri Silverman Bibas and her two children, Ariel, four years old, and Kfir, a child of only ten months. Nevertheless, the Israeli Government denounced the "psychological terror" of Hamas towards the families of the kidnapped and said that it was necessary to verify this information.
