Israeli forces are using excessive and reckless force in the occupied West Bank, Amnesty International says.
@bbc
More than 40 Palestinians were killed in the past three years and the rate of killings rose significantly in 2013, a report by the human rights group says.
It alleges that Israel is allowing its soldiers to act with virtual impunity.
Israel said Amnesty had ignored an increase in Palestinian violence and showed a complete lack of understanding of its operational challenges.
'Needless loss of life'
Amnesty International's report, entitled Trigger Happy, says there has been mounting bloodshed and human rights in the West Bank since January 2011 as a result of the use of "unnecessary, arbitrary and brutal force against Palestinians" by Israeli soldiers and police.
According to the UN, 27 West Bank Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces last year, nine more than the totals in 2011 and 2012 combined.
Nine Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were reportedly killed by Israeli forces in 2013, while Palestinians killed three Israeli civilians and three Israeli security forces personnel in Israel and the West Bank.
Amnesty documented the killings of 22 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank last year, of which it said at least 14 were connected to protests. In all of the cases, those killed did not appear to have posed a direct and immediate threat to life, it said.
"Several victims were shot in the back suggesting that they were targeted as they tried to flee and posed no genuine threat to the lives of members of Israeli forces or others," the report said. "In several cases, well-armoured Israeli forces have resorted to lethal means to crack down on stone-throwing protesters causing needless loss of life."
"There is evidence that some individuals were victims of wilful killings, which would amount to war crimes."
A further 261 West Bank Palestinians, including 67 children, have been seriously injured by live ammunition fired by Israeli forces in the past three years, according to Amnesty. Some 8,500 others, including 1,500 children, have been shot and seriously wounded by other means, including rubber-coated metal bullets and tear-gas canisters, it says.
The report also accuses the Israeli authorities of failing to publish the findings of investigations into a number of suspected unlawful killings.
