Israel's Live Fire Leaves West Bank Teenagers Disabled

Nablus, Occupied West Bank — Families and youth from the Askar refugee camp once gathered under the olive trees on the slopes of Tel Askar, a hilltop area north of Nablus. But now most dare not go there because soldiers have shot so many people at this spot.

Amjad Refaee, director of the Askar Social Development Center, says the memories of victims killed by Israeli soldiers haunt one of the camp's rare green spaces where children could play.

The Israeli military has killed three teenagers there and wounded many others since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its attack on Israel and Israel began its genocidal war in Gaza.

Soldiers no longer fire rubber bullets or aim below the belt; they shoot to kill or disable, Refaee said. “We are just animals to them. They terrorize us, kill our young in cold blood, and lock us up in prisons.”

Residents say Tel Askar has become a point of entry for Israeli soldiers when they raid the camp's narrow, dilapidated streets, often coming from the illegal settlement of Elon Moreh overlooking the area east of Nablus.

It was on this hill that Amir Othman, 18, was shot in January last year and left disabled. The shooting happened near the exact spot where his childhood friend Mohammed Abu Haneen was killed by the army more than a year earlier, at age 18.

“I Begged My Uncle to Shoot Me Dead”

Amir was a promising footballer and dancer until an Israeli soldier shot him in the leg when a jeep convoy passed through Tel Askar in January last year. He used to travel widely performing Dabke, the Palestinian folk dance.

Now studying nursing, Amir was pulling a wounded friend also shot by soldiers to safety when he was hit. “My kneecap and thighbone shattered. I lost all feeling in my leg, I thought I'd lost it. Blood gushed out like boiling water.”

Soldiers blocked an ambulance from reaching Amir as he lay bleeding. Medical officials and international organisations say this has happened hundreds of times since October 7, when Israel intensified raids on Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

Amir underwent four surgeries to regain the ability to walk. He was bedridden for four months; doctors say his mobility will never fully recover. “When I woke up from my first surgery, I begged my uncle to shoot me dead, because I thought it would be better. But now I'm learning to accept this condition and keep living.”

Children of Refugees

At least 13 Palestinians have been killed in Askar since Israel ramped up its West Bank offensive after October 7, according to Palestinian monitoring groups. Many others have been shot during the army's relentless raids.

At least 157 children have been killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2024, according to Defense for Children International – Palestine. Israel denies targeting children, claiming its raids are necessary for security reasons.

Askar is one of the most densely populated of the 19 West Bank refugee camps, with 24,000 people living in an area about the size of 17 football pitches. The camp suffers from widespread unemployment; many residents live in poverty and overcrowding, according to UNRWA.

The refugee camps began as canvas shelters to provide temporary accommodation for the hundreds of thousands of refugees forcibly expelled from historical Palestine during the 1948 Nakba, when the state of Israel was established. But over decades, hopes of returning home faded, and the camps became cramped urban blocks.

Amir sat in a newly launched emergency medical centre with his friend Yamen Habron, 17, and Islam Madani, 32. All three were shot by the Israeli military in the past three years, leaving them disabled. They insist no one, regardless of age, is safe when the army storms the camp.

“No Safety”

Islam Madani says he forbids his children — like many other parents — from playing outside. His four-year-old son cries uncontrollably every time the army enters the camp because he knows what they did to his father.

He was shot by a sniper at 7:30 a.m. on January 9, 2024, while rushing to his factory job. “I lost a lot of blood. The medics did everything to keep me awake, in case I never woke up again.”

He recovered after several major surgeries. The bullet entered behind his knee and exited through the front, leaving horrific scars. He says the army now enters at any time and makes no distinction between fighters and unarmed civilians. “Anyone can be shot. There is no safety. I was just going to work.”

Islam no longer works at the factory; he cannot stand for long periods because of the pain. He has had to undergo psychological therapy to overcome the shame of not being able to support his family after being shot and losing his job. “I've become more aggressive, angry, and impulsive. I pray to God that something good will come.”

Deliberate?

Yamen dropped out of school very early to help his family. The shy teenager was shot twice in the hip by soldiers who surrounded him just as he reached his front door after going to the gym. One bullet lodged in his hip, the other went through his ribs.

He says all he remembers is his mother's screams while his father and brother tried to keep him awake as the ambulance was blocked by army vehicles. He spent 14 days in intensive care; doctors took two days to remove the shrapnel. Now he walks with a limp.

Center director Amjad Refaee has known all three since childhood. He says none of them ever joined Palestinian armed groups, as many in the camp have. When asked about the future, the young men question whether the soldiers deliberately kill them or intentionally inflict disability to increase suffering.

“Children in Askar wake up to the occupation. They have no playgrounds. They can only kick a ball in the streets. Many are forced to work from a very young age,” Refaee said. “My purpose is to keep young people alive by giving them hope, because they are the future of this country. If not, we will disappear — that is what Israel wants.”