Israeli Settlers and Soldiers Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank Shootings
A 17-year-old boy and a 58-year-old man were shot and killed in two separate incidents in the occupied West Bank on Friday.
Two Palestinians were killed on Friday in separate shootings in the West Bank, a territory that Israel has occupied since 1967. A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed by Israeli settlers in a town called Sa'ir, north of Hebron. A 58-year-old man was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers during a military raid in the city of Jenin. The two incidents happened on the same day but in different locations.
The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the teenager as Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh. His father spoke to reporters at the hospital and said that Israeli settlers had shot and killed his son. The shooting also wounded a 70-year-old man who was nearby. Palestinian officials reported the events through the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The Israeli military gave a different account of what happened in Sa'ir. They said soldiers were sent to the area after Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli civilians who did not have permission to be there. A security official then opened fire after some Israelis were hurt. The two sides did not fully agree on the details of what took place.
The second shooting took place in Jenin, where Israeli forces carried out a raid in the early morning hours. Officials from the Palestinian Authority said 58-year-old Fathi Khazem was killed during that raid. An Israeli army official claimed that Khazem had tried to stab a soldier, though no Israeli soldiers were hurt in the incident.
Israeli officials also pointed out that Fathi Khazem was the father of Raed Khazem, who killed three people in Tel Aviv in April 2022. Raed was later shot and killed by Israeli forces after a massive manhunt. At the time, Israeli authorities had demanded that Fathi turn himself in to police. Another of Fathi's sons was also killed during an Israeli military raid in Jenin in September 2022.
Violence in the West Bank has been getting worse over time. According to Palestinian officials, at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in nearly 1,500 attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers so far this year. Three Israelis have also been killed by Palestinians in 2026. Countries including France, Germany, the UK, and Italy have spoken out against Israeli actions in the West Bank, and the U.S. ambassador to Israel has called some settler actions 'terror.'
Violence has escalated sharply in the West Bank - occupied by Israel since 1967 - where at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in almost 1,500 attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers this year.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. How old was the Palestinian boy killed by Israeli settlers in Sa'ir?
2. What does the word 'occupied' mean in the phrase 'the occupied West Bank'?
3. Why might the article mention that no Israeli soldiers were hurt during the Jenin raid?