Israeli settlers and military kill 2 Palestinians – one a teenager – in separate West Bank shootings

Israeli settlers shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian boy and wounded an elderly man after Palestinians allegedly threw rocks on Friday in Sa’ir, north of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The ministry identified the teenager as Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh. The teenager’s father told the Associated Press at the hospital that Israeli settlers had killed his son.

The Israeli military said soldiers were dispatched to Sa’ir after Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli civilians who were in the area «without advanced authorisation». Some Israelis were injured and a security official opened fire.

The shooting also wounded a 70-year-old man, official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

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Separately, the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs informed the Health Ministry that 58-year-old Fathi Khazem was fatally shot by Israeli forces during a raid early Friday in Jenin.

An Israeli army official speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military rules alleged that Khazem attempted to stab an Israeli soldier during an overnight operation. No Israeli soldiers were injured.

The Israeli official said the man was the father of Raed Khazem, who shot and killed three people in Tel Aviv in April 2022. Raed was shot dead by Israeli forces after a massive manhunt. Israeli authorities at the time demanded that Fathi hand himself in.

Another of Fathi’s sons, Abdul Rahman Hazem, was killed during an Israeli military raid targeting alleged militants in the Jenin refugee camp in September 2022.

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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, according to Palestinian officials. Three Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in 2026.

(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)