New IAM investigation claims B'Tselem report ‘demonizes Israel by rebranding terrorists as minors’

A new investigation by the Israel Advocacy Movement (IAM) challenges a June 2026 B'Tselem report, "Unshielded Childhood," which documented the deaths of 54 Palestinian minors in the West Bank during 2025. The IAM counter-investigation, led by Joseph Cohen, claims B'Tselem's report "fundamentally distorts reality by rebranding active combatants and terrorists as innocent children."

• The IAM report, based on militant "martyr" posters, Telegram communications, news footage, and Israeli military records, found that at least 20% of the individuals in B'Tselem's dataset were militants, many affiliated with groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Hamas, and the PFLP.
• Approximately 78% were reportedly participating in hostilities, including gunfights, car rammings, and throwing explosives.
• The investigation highlighted specific cases, such as 17-year-old Rida Bani Odeh, whom B'Tselem described as an "innocent boy," but IAM identified as a prominent PIJ member killed in a firefight, citing a PIJ martyr poster.
• IAM also alleged internal discrepancies in B'Tselem's report, where text figures for ages did not match its own data charts.

Joseph Cohen stated, "The death of any minor is tragic and should be thoroughly investigated... However, by mixing innocent casualties with active combatants from terror groups, B'Tselem has done a disservice to any genuine victims, weaponizing their deaths to shield combatants and demonize Israel on the global stage."