Israeli soldiers fire teargas at Palestinian school children, several suffer suffocation

The Israeli soldiers fired teargas canisters at students as they were leaving their schools in the southern parts of al-Khalil on Tuesday. A few students who suffered suffocation were treated on the spot.

According to the Palestinian Quds news network, the children panicked as gas filled the air and did not know where to go to avoid breathing in the toxic gases, while local residents tried helping them run away to a safe place.

The network posted a video via twitter filmed by a resident showing the gas spreading in the air, as he addresses a small girl and helps her run away from the area.

This is not the first time Israeli occupation forces target schools across the Palestinian occupied territories, especially in the city of al-Khalil.

Earlier in October, the Quds news reported that a Palestinian infant died after inhaling tear gas fired by Israeli occupation forces in Kafr Aqab in occupied al-Quds.

Also in December, the Palestinian Wafa news agency said a group of armed soldiers fired tear gas and concussion bombs around the area and inside the Akka Elementary Co-ed School, causing suffocation cases among dozens of students and staff.

The al-Khalil area falls under Israeli control and remains vulnerable to daily harassment by the regime’s settlers and military forces.

According to Defense for Children Palestine (DCIP), investigations and evidence collected suggest that Israeli forces carry out different crimes against Palestinian children, including the use intentional lethal force against them in circumstances that may amount to extrajudicial or willful killings.

Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children violates the provisions of international humanitarian law, with 2022 becoming the deadliest year for Palestinian children in over 15 years.