A Palestinian official told AFP that Israeli forces shot and killed a US citizen teenager in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, while the Israeli military claimed the teen was a “terrorist” who had thrown rocks at vehicles.
The town’s mayor, Lafi Shalabi, told AFP that 14-year-old Omar Muhammad Saadeh Rabee, who was killed in Turmus Ayya, held US citizenship.
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The Israeli military said that during “counter-terrorism activity” in Turmus Ayya, “soldiers identified three terrorists who hurled rocks toward the highway, thus endangering civilians driving”.
“The soldiers opened fire toward the terrorists who were endangering civilians, eliminating one terrorist and hitting two additional terrorists,” a military statement added.
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Two Other Teenagers Injured
The Palestinian health ministry said one person was in critical condition and another suffered minor injuries in the same incident.
Shalabi said one of the wounded also had US citizenship. Many dual US-Palestinian citizens live in Turmus Ayya, located northeast of the main West Bank city of Ramallah.
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The Palestine Red Crescent said its teams had taken the body of the boy to a hospital. It also reported the injuries of two boys shot in the lower abdomen and thigh respectively, during “clashes” in Turmus Ayya.
Fourteen-year-old Abdul Rahman Shehadeh told AFP that a soldier shot him while he was collecting fruit near the town.
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Family Accounts and Allegations
Ahed Asaad identified his son, 14-year-old Ayoub Asaad, as the second boy who was shot in the abdomen. He confirmed that the boy had a US passport.
Ahed Asaad said soldiers stopped the ambulance that was taking his wounded son to the hospital.
“A soldier stopped us at a military checkpoint at the village entrance and told me he was the one who shot the three boys,” he told AFP.
The Palestinian Authority’s foreign affairs ministry denounced the Israeli forces’ “use of live fire against three children”.
“Israel’s continued impunity as an illegal occupying power encourages it to commit further crimes”, it added.
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Rising Violence in the West Bank
Violence has soared in the West Bank since the Gaza war started on October 7, 2023.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 918 Palestinians, including militants, in the West Bank since then, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.
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Palestinian attacks and clashes during military raids have killed at least 33 Israelis, including soldiers, over the same period, according to official figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank, home to about three million Palestinians, since 1967.