Teenagers Shot Dead Near Settlement in Occupied West Bank
Israeli soldiers and killed two Palestinian teenagers in the occupied West Bank on Monday, according to Palestinian officials, in an incident that threatens to further inflame tensions across the territory. The Israeli military stated that the two had attacked a nearby Jewish settlement with fire bombs and burning tires.
The fatal shooting occurred in the area of Beit Ummar. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA identified the deceased as aged 15 and 19, an account confirmed by a relative. The military said its forces fired upon three individuals who were throwing fire bombs and igniting tires near the Karmei Tzur settlement. One of the three was wounded, and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that the survivor, a 15-year-old, was hospitalized in stable condition.
Israeli troops routinely conduct raids in the West Bank and have tightened movement restrictions on Palestinian villages near settlements in recent months. United Nations bodies and most countries consider Israeli settlements illegal under international law and a primary obstacle to Palestinian statehood. Israel disputes this, viewing the territory as disputed and citing a historic Jewish presence. Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians have risen sharply, with UN data recording at least 57 Palestinians killed since the start of the year in incidents involving settlers and the military.
Gaza Death Toll Surpasses 1,000 Since Ceasefire
The humanitarian toll in Gaza continues to climb despite a US-brokered ceasefire that took effect last October. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that nine people were killed and 41 wounded in the past 24 hours alone, pushing the total number of fatalities from Israeli fire since the truce began to at least 1,021, with 3,249 wounded.
In one of the deadliest recent incidents, Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least nine people on Saturday, including a child and an Al Jazeera journalist. An airstrike destroyed an apartment in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood, killing four Palestinians, among them two women and a child. In northern Beit Lahiya, Israeli forces shot and killed a woman, while an airstrike in Khan Younis killed one person and wounded eight others Later, a strike on the Bureij refugee camp killed three people, including cameraman Ahmed Wishah. Al Jazeera condemned the killing as a “heinous crime,” noting that Wishah’s brother, also a journalist for the network, was killed by Israeli forces two months prior.
Diplomatic Clashes and Calls for Accountability
Diplomatic tensions erupted at the United Nations when Israel’s ambassador, Danny Danon, engaged in a shouting match with Pramila Patten, the UN special representative on children and armed conflict. Danon demanded her resignation over a report that blacklisted Israel for alleged sexual violence against children, accusing her of bias and telling her to “be quiet.” The report, issued on behalf of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, warned that Israeli settler groups could be added to a global blacklist for violations against children, as the UN chief voiced alarm at a “staggering” rise in abuses against Palestinian minors.
Meanwhile, Pakistan convened with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye at a consultative meeting in Cairo, where foreign ministers reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause to regional peace. They backed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital. At an emergency UN Security Council meeting, Pakistan’s envoy called for immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza, describing the blockade as an instrument of collective punishment and urging a permanent ceasefire and political process for Palestinian self-determination.
Israel Claims Targeted Killings of Militant Operatives
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it had “eliminated” Hussein Qadra and Mohammed Farra, operatives in the military wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). According to the military, Qadra headed a network that facilitated the transfer of more than half a billion shekels to Hamas. Israel maintains that its strikes are aimed at thwarting imminent attacks, while Hamas rarely discloses information about the deaths of its fighters.
As violence persists, the UN and international observers continue to warn of rapidly deteriorating conditions for civilians. The latest deaths of teenagers in the West Bank and the mounting toll in Gaza underscore the fragility of the ceasefire and the deepening humanitarian crisis gripping the occupied territories.
