RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: The Palestinian Authority on Friday said that Israeli forces shot and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the victim as Fahd Zidan Oweis. “He was shot dead by the (Israeli) forces at dawn today in the town of Al-Lubban al-Sharqiyya in the Nablus governorate. His body has been withheld,” the ministry said.
In a separate incident in the village of Jibiya, north of Ramallah, Palestinians reported that Israeli settlers set fire to a room inside a mosque and torched two cars parked in its courtyard. Hebrew graffiti was also sprayed on the mosque’s outer walls.
The attack occurred shortly after midnight, according to Ibrahim Zibar, an employee at the mosque. “It appears they tried to burn down the entire mosque,” he said.
Resident Saber Shalash added, “Our situation is no different from that of other villages. This attack targeted our cars, our property, and the mosque, which we built through donations.”
Rising settler violence
The Palestinian Ministry of Religious Affairs condemned the attack, calling it “a cowardly terrorist act that reflects an extremist mindset with no respect for religion or international law.”
The Israeli military said troops searched for those responsible but were unable to locate the suspects.
Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank have continued for years, often with little legal consequence.
Violence has surged since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, drawing widespread international condemnation, including criticism from influential rabbis and Israeli military officials.
More than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements across the West Bank, alongside roughly three million Palestinians. All settlements are considered illegal under international law.
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,072 Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began, while official Israeli figures report at least 46 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations during the same period.
