A Palestinian-American teenager was shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank over the weekend, claiming the 14-year-old was a "terrorist" who was endangering civilians by throwing rocks at cars.
Ramallah governor Laila Ghannam said the 14-year-old boy, Omar Mahammad Rabea, was shot dead by Israeli troops in the village of Turmusaya. Two other Palestinian-American boys, ages 14 and 15, were injured in the incident, according to the mayor of Turmusaya, Lafi Shalabi. The incident is the latest in a surge of violence and near-daily confrontations in the volatile West Bank.
"During a counterterrorism activity in the area of Turmus Aya, IDF soldiers identified three terrorists who hurled rocks toward the highway, thus endangering civilians driving," the Israeli army said in a statement. "The soldiers opened fire toward the terrorists who were endangering civilians, eliminating one terrorist and hitting two additional terrorists."
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the incident as an "extra-judicial killing" by Israeli forces during a raid in the town, saying it was the result of Israel's "continued impunity." One of the other boys involved in the incident was severely injured, while the other had minor wounds. They were both taken to a hospital in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said.
The Israeli military shared a blurry video purportedly showing the incident, in which three figures are seen. At the end of the short clip, one of the figures appears to hurl an object. The Israeli military said it would continue operating in the West Bank "to protect the residents in the area."
There was no immediate comment from the U.S., where the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to meet President Donald Trump on Monday to discuss the war in the Gaza Strip, Iran and U.S. tariffs.
Just like Rabea, one of the other boys was also a U.S. citizen, said his father, Ayoub Asaad. The father also said that the ambulance transporting his son to the hospital was stopped by Israeli soldiers at a military checkpoint outside the town, according to AFP.
These killings are not the first time Israeli forces kill or detain American citizens in the West Bank, and concerns about a lack of accountability date back years, according to CNN. In 2003, American activist Rachel Corrie, 23, was crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer while trying to block it from razing Palestinian homes in Gaza. Nine years later an Israeli civil court ruled her death an accident.
In Spring 2022, prominent Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while reporting in the West Bank. That November, Defense Minister Benny Gantz confirmed that Israel would not cooperate with a U.S. probe into her death. A CNN investigation suggested that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces, despite wearing a vest marked "Press."
In February last year, Florida-born U.S. citizen Mohammad Khdour, 17, was killed by Israeli forces who shot him in the head while he was in his car. The teenager was taking the car out during a study break, snacking on chocolate waffles, posing for Instagram.
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