Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank early Tuesday, according to the Palestinian health ministry, marking another deadly day in a region increasingly gripped by violence since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023.
Among the victims was 15-year-old Amjad Nassar Abu Awad, who the ministry said was fatally shot by Israeli gunfire in Ramallah at dawn. The Israeli military acknowledged conducting an overnight operation in the area and said soldiers had opened fire after “several terrorists hurled rocks” at them, prompting “warning shots.” An AFP journalist reported that around 20 mourners, mostly boys, gathered at a hospital morgue to pay their respects, many in tears as they touched the boy’s lifeless face.
In a separate incident near the southern West Bank town of Dhahiriya, 24-year-old Samer Bassam Zagharneh was also killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli army claimed he was attempting to cross the border from the West Bank into Israel in the al-Ramadin area and that soldiers fired “according to standard operating procedures” after identifying him.
These incidents come just days after two other Palestinian teenagers, aged 13 and 15, were shot dead in the West Bank towns of Al-Yamoun and Kafr Malik, respectively.
The West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, has seen a sharp spike in violence since the start of the war in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack in October 2023. According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 947 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since then. In contrast, Israeli sources report that 35 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during military operations.
In a related development, 22-year-old Palestinian detainee Loay Nasrallah died in Israeli custody. While authorities have not confirmed the cause, his family stated he had existing health issues prior to his arrest in March 2023. His death brings the number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in Israeli custody since the onset of the Gaza war to 73.
The Israel Prison Service has not commented on the death.
