We must protect Palestinian children from being killed | Letter

The world should be outraged about escalating violence in the West Bank, particularly against children, writes Dr Philip Goodwin of Unicef UK

Your report (How children in West Bank are being killed by Israel ‘without accountability’, 29 June) resonated deeply. As the chief executive of Unicef UK, I have just returned from meeting Palestinian families and children across the West Bank – many of whom carried Unicef backpacks just like Mohammad al-Halaq in your report – who spoke of the rising fear and violence that have become part of their daily lives.

I have worked in humanitarian development for more than two decades, but nothing could have prepared me for what I witnessed there. In Hebron’s militarised H2 area, movement is heavily restricted, children must pass checkpoints to get to school and their usual route is permanently closed. A group of mothers I met described routine humiliation and intimidation. The streets were empty, people afraid to be outside.