Terrorist Attack by Israeli Settlers Kills Two Palestinians in West Bank

Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed in a terrorist attack by Israeli settlers near a school in the occupied West Bank village of al-Mughayyir , east of Ramallah, authorities said on Tuesday, in the latest episode of escalating violence in the territory.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the victims as 14-year-old Aws al-Naasan and 32-year-old Jihad Abu Naim . The shooting also left several other Palestinians wounded , according to health officials and local sources.

Witnesses said Israeli settlers, accompanied by Israeli soldiers, entered the village and gunfire erupted near a school , triggering panic among students and residents. School administrators reportedly urged parents to collect their children as gunfire and tear gas were fired in the area , during which the two victims were killed.

The injured and the bodies of the deceased were taken to the Ramallah Medical Complex , where mourners later carried the victims out wrapped in Palestinian flags.

Residents described the incident as part of a pattern of recurring violence, intimidation and land seizures affecting Palestinian communities in the region.

The Israeli military said the shooter was a civilian who serves as an army reservist but was not mobilised at the time . Officials said troops had been dispatched after reports of stone-throwing at an Israeli civilian vehicle , adding that the incident remains under investigation .

Al-Mughayyir, located about 15 kilometres northeast of Ramallah , has become an epicentre of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers . Residents say the village has faced dozens of settler attacks in recent years , including shootings, arson and vandalism.

The village is surrounded by multiple settler outposts , including Adei Ad , which was legalised by the Israeli government in December , while residents say access to farmland and olive groves has increasingly been restricted.

According to Palestinian officials, 10 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank this year , already surpassing the total recorded in 2025. Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that 240 Palestinians were killed in the territory last year , the majority by Israeli forces, with nine deaths attributed to settlers .