Palestinian teens killed during settler attack on West Bank village
Funerals have taken place for two Palestinian teenagers who local officials say were killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in an attack on their village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
Al‑Mughayyir village council reported that Omar al‑Nass‑an, 19, and Khalil Abu Alia, 16, were killed while attempting to stop Israeli settlers from stealing sheep, sparking violent confrontations.
Israeli troops said they entered the village to “provide security for an Israeli civilian and police attempting to retrieve livestock.” They claimed they fired only at pause reasons, describing their shots as aimed at “key instigators” of a hard‑wound disturbance where Palestinians threw stones at the soldiers.
The incident comes amid a surge of settler attacks – more than three such incidents per day on average have been recorded by the UN so far this year.
Al‑Mughayyir, close to Ramallah, has seen repeated settler assaults. WhatsApp messages shared in settler‑controlled groups suggest a goal of forcing Palestinian residents to leave.
UN figures say at least 81 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers this year, including 23 in settler‑related attacks. Three Israelis – soldiers and civilians – were also killed by Palestinians. Israeli authorities have been criticised for under‑prosecution of settlers involved in the violence. A 19‑year‑old settler was arrested on suspicion of involvement in a Qusra attack, marking the first such arrest in several weeks.
The West Bank has seen about 160 settlements with 700,000 Jews since the 1967 war, overlapping with the 3.3 million Palestinians who live nearby. The settlements are deemed illegal under international law. Separately, Israeli forces demolished the village of Khirbet al‑Tabban, where 70 residents were evicted without warning, further inflaming the humanitarian debate.
B’Tselem and other human‑rights groups describe the demolition as the most significant in the area since May 2025, urging that the West Bank’s fluctuating status is part of a “campaign of ethnic cleansing.”
