SAEDNEWS: A 13-year-old Palestinian boy has been shot and killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, as tensions escalate over ongoing land confiscations and settler violence.
According to Saed News, the child, identified as Amr Ali Qabha, was fatally wounded by live fire in the town of Yabad, near Jenin, on Friday. Witnesses and local reports say Israeli soldiers obstructed medical aid, barring ambulances from reaching the boy after he was shot. His father, who attempted to help, was beaten and detained. Qabha was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital after eventually being transported.
The incident adds to a growing toll of violence in the West Bank, where over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023—over 200 of them children. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that June alone saw at least 14 Palestinian deaths and 355 injuries, with 129 attacks by Israeli settlers resulting in civilian casualties or property damage.
Amid raids and home demolitions, Israeli forces and settlers continue to displace Palestinian residents across the territory. On Friday, clashes erupted in Raba near Jenin, as soldiers fired tear gas at demonstrators protesting land seizures. In other towns—including Dura, Qalqiliya, Bethlehem, and Nablus—raids led to multiple arrests and further destruction of property. In Umm Safa, troops destroyed a main water pipeline, cutting off access for 1,000 residents.
Meanwhile, UK and US officials voiced concern over Israel's revived plans to expand settlements in the contested E1 zone east of Jerusalem, warning it could irreparably fracture a future Palestinian state. Israel also faces international criticism over its designs to turn areas like Masafer Yatta into military firing zones, accelerating the displacement of long-established Palestinian communities.
