Palestinian child martyred by explosion of occupation military remnants in the Jordan Valley

Palestinian medical and local sources announced on Tuesday evening the martyrdom of a child and the injury of two others, one of whom was described as being in serious condition, due to the explosion of military remnants belonging to the Israeli occupation army in the town of Jiftlik in the central Jordan Valley, east of the occupied West Bank.

Local sources reported that the explosion occurred in the 'Froush Beit Dajan' community, part of Jiftlik town, where the ammunition was remnants of previous training by occupation forces in the area, leading to casualties among the children who were present at the scene.

For its part, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its teams received the body of the martyred child, aged 13, from the Israeli occupation army, and he was immediately transferred to Jericho Governmental Hospital for necessary procedures.

In a related context, occupation forces imposed a strict security cordon around the explosion site, preventing citizens and paramedics from approaching the area for a period of time, while the occupation army claimed that the injuries resulted from 'tampering' with ammunition remnants near the 'Tirtza' military base.

The Palestinian Jordan Valley is one of the areas most susceptible to such incidents, as Israel classifies vast areas of it as closed military zones or firing ranges, turning the lives of Palestinian residents into a constant danger that pursues them in their pastures and agricultural lands.

The Jordan Valley, which constitutes about 30% of the West Bank's area, is under full Israeli security and administrative control within the areas classified as (C), where training camps are spread, leaving behind large quantities of mines and unexploded ordnance.

Human rights reports indicate the presence of about 12 occupation army camps around Jericho and the Jordan Valley, surrounded by minefields and training areas that pose a direct threat to the lives of civilians, especially children who are unaware of the nature of these explosive objects.

With the martyrdom of the child in Jiftlik, the number of martyrs in the West Bank since the start of the Israeli aggression on October 8, 2023, rises to 1115 martyrs, including 231 children who were killed by occupation bullets or as a result of its military remnants and settler attacks.

This incident coincides with the escalating pace of Israeli violations in various governorates of the West Bank, which include field executions and mass arrests targeting about 22,000 Palestinians, in addition to forced displacement policies and settlement expansion.

Observers believe that leaving military remnants in populated areas or near Palestinian communities is part of a systematic policy of pressure to push residents to leave their lands, which exacerbates the suffering of Palestinians under siege and daily threat.

Occupation forces prevented Palestinian citizens from approaching the explosion site after it occurred in the Froush Beit Dajan community.