16 Palestinian Children Killed and 23 Permanently Handicapped During the Intifada in Tulkarem
TULKAREM, Palestine - - Even the children were never spared the atrocities of the oppressive Israeli occupation military
attacks in Tulkarem governorate of the West Bank.
Figures released by the Social Affair Directorate of Tulkarem indicated that the death toll of the Palestinian children
(below 18 years) were 16, who were killed through the Israeli occupying incursions, assassination operations against
Palestinian resistant activists while the children were causally been in the area, and others were killed by shrapnel
caused by Israeli combat helicopter bombardment of Palestinian civil structures or the cars of “wanted people” by
Israel.
The recorded number of the wounded children in the wounded ward of the Social Affairs Directorate shows that 23 of the
wounded children were permanently handicapped as the case of the child Saif Al Din Al Shawa.
The medical committee in the governorate said that Saif Al Shawa was suffering 45% incapability due to the live bullet
hit his right hand, likely similar to the 17 year old Marwan Al Dahla, whose incapability rate was 40% resulting from an
injury in the head.
Omayma Shahroor, a social research worker working at Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) said “numerous children go
through trauma, shock and psycho pains as being liable to experience neither the missing or the wounding of their dearly
friends or school mates.”
Mrs. Shahroor said that nine-year old girl Eman Abu Shala from Noor Shams refugee camp was shocked when she saw a TV
image of her wounded father being treated, bearing in mind that her father was shot in his hand that was totally was
amputated. Her panic got from bad to worse when her father was killed at one of the Israeli checkpoints few days of his
recovery.
She added that another girl, Khadija Al Saei, 7, from Tulkarem refugee camp was also in panic when her father was fully
paralyzed, the only householder of their eight-member family.
It is important to note that the YMCA is a care child association dedicated of the children suffering a physical
handicap, mentally disordered and severe shocks.