A 16-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed by an Israeli settler in the occupied West Bank town of Tuqu’ on Tuesday following the funeral of another teenager, the town’s mayor said, amid rising violence in the territory.
Tuqu’ Mayor Mohammed al-Badan told Reuters that the shooting occurred after residents gathered near the town’s main street following the funeral of 16-year-old Ammar Sabah, who was killed a day earlier during an Israeli military raid.
“After the funeral, a number of youths were gathered when a settler shot 16-year-old Muheeb Jibril in the head,” al-Badan said by telephone.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Jibril’s death.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli forces killed Sabah on Monday during a military operation in Tuqu’. The military said the incident was under review, adding that soldiers used riot-dispersal measures after stones were thrown at them and later responded with live fire.
Israeli violence has surged across the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023. Attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have risen sharply, with the United Nations reporting a record number of such incidents in October.
The West Bank is home to about 2.7 million Palestinians who live under Israeli military occupation with limited self-rule, alongside hundreds of thousands of illegal Israeli settlers. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal under international law, citing U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for a halt to settlement activity. Israel disputes that assessment, citing historical and biblical ties to the land.
Separately, the Israeli military said Tuesday it plans to demolish several structures in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp near the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm. Palestinian media reported that the mayor of Tulkarm condemned the planned demolitions as a “fully fledged crime.”
In March, Israeli forces demolished large sections of the camp to clear paths for military vehicles, displacing thousands of Palestinian residents, according to local accounts.
Israel has tightened movement restrictions and carried out widespread raids across the West Bank, saying the measures are necessary to counter alleged threats. Human Rights Watch accused Israel in November of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity over forced expulsions in the territory.
