Palestinian Toddler Wounded by Israeli Fire

Facts

• On Friday, Israeli and Palestinian authorities reported that a three-year-old Palestinian boy is in critical condition after being hit by Israeli fire in the West Bank on Thursday.¹
• Palestinian authorities say that the boy and his father were sitting in a car when they came under fire as part of an Israeli military raid in the village of Nabi Saleh, northwest of Ramallah in the West Bank.²
• The Israeli military, however, claims the two were hit unintentionally after its soldiers returned fire at two armed militants, and has opened an investigation into the incident.³
• The father was rushed to Ramallah for emergency medical attention while the child was airlifted to an Israeli hospital.⁴
• In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said that they "regret the injury to noncombatants" and that they "work to prevent such incidents."³
• The situation in east Jerusalem and the West Bank has steadily deteriorated over the last year, with an Associated Press poll estimating that around 120 Palestinians and at least 21 Israelis have been killed in those two areas this year.¹

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Al Jazeera, ³Haaretz, and ⁴Middle East Monitor.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Times of Israel. While tragic, this was purely an accident. Israeli forces were shot at by terrorists and they had to return fire in self-defense. This father and child were sadly caught in the crossfire. There can only be hope for a speedy recovery for both of them.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by +972 Magazine. No matter what Israel might say, this was no accident; it was the result of Israel's cruel raids in the occupied West Bank. Peaceful Palestinians and noncombatants are being murdered in their homes — the unlawful execution of Palestinians needs to end.

Predictions