A Palestinian-American teenager lost his life when Israeli forces opened fire in the occupied West Bank, as reported by Palestinian officials. Omar Mohammed Saada Rabea, only 14 years old, was among three 14-year-old boys targeted on Sunday evening near Turmus Ayya. In this incident, one boy suffered serious injuries while the other faced minor wounds.
The Israeli military defended their actions by claiming that the trio posed a threat by throwing stones at a nearby highway and endangering civilian lives. The Palestinian foreign ministry strongly condemned this incident as part of a troubling series of extrajudicial killings by Israeli forces.
No immediate comment was made by the US regarding this incident, which comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump on Monday to discuss ongoing issues including the war in the Gaza Strip, Iran, and US tariffs.
Violence has notably escalated in the West Bank in the aftermath of Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The Israelis have intensified their raids in search and arrest operations across the territory, aiming to prevent Palestinian attacks on Israelis both in the West Bank and within Israel itself, with hundreds of Palestinians losing their lives as a result.
According to Turmus Ayya’s mayor, Omar Rabea was fatally shot on Sunday near the town’s entrance, which is about 15 km (9 miles) north-east of Ramallah and hosts a significant number of Palestinian-Americans. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that one of the injured boys was hit in the lower abdomen while the other in the thigh. Abdul Rahman Shehadeh, one of the injured, claimed that he was shot by a soldier while picking fruit.
The father of Ayoub Asaad, a third boy also a US citizen, stated that Israeli soldiers at a military checkpoint outside the town stopped the ambulance attempting to transport Ayoub to the hospital. In their statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed they identified three terrorists throwing rocks towards the highway, thus justifying their decision to open fire.
The foreign ministry of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority strongly criticized the use of live fire against minors by the Israeli forces. They warned that Israel’s lack of accountability as an occupying power only encourages further violations and atrocities.
Last week, the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk, expressed grave concern over the situation in the West Bank, stating it as “extremely alarming”. He informed the UN Security Council of Israeli operations leading to numerous deaths, destruction of several refugee camps, and displacement of over 40,000 Palestinians.
In January, Israel initiated “Operation Iron Wall” against Palestinian armed groups in the northern West Bank, claiming it aimed to “defeat terrorism”. Türk’s office verified that since October 7, 2023, Israeli state and settler violence has claimed the lives of at least 909 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 191 children and five individuals with disabilities – some of these deaths may amount to extrajudicial and other unlawful killings.
During the same period, 51 Israelis, including 15 women and four children, were killed in Palestinian attacks or armed clashes in the West Bank and Israel.
Due to its occupation of the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war, Israel has established around 160 settlements housing approximately 700,000 Jews. These settlements are widely regarded as being in breach of international law, despite their disputes by Israel.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c99pnvmp3kmo
