Israeli Forces Kill 14-Year-Old Palestinian Boy in West Bank Village of Burqa

Palestinian officials reported that a 14-year-old was killed by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities stated, while Israel maintained that the action was a reply to stone-throwing.

Moutaz Eyad Daghlas was killed late on Monday in Burqa, a village northwest of Nablus, according to the Palestinian health ministry cited by Dawn. Local sources reported that Israeli forces raided the area and opened live fire at residents, wounding at least three other individuals.

Countercurrents reported that the injured casualties featured a 17-year-old boy who suffered gunshot wounds to his abdomen and pelvis, as well as a 19-year-old man who was shot in the hand.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society stated that its response teams treated two people with gunshot wounds and transported them to a hospital. However, the organization reported that Israeli forces blocked ambulance crews from reaching a third wounded person and briefly detained three volunteer paramedics.

According to Countercurrents, military forces also withheld the deceased boy’s body and arrested his father, Iyad Daghlas, alongside another family member named Ryan Daghlas. UA.News reported that troops additionally blocked the village’s main road, restricting traffic in both directions.

When asked about the incident by Agence France-Presse, the Israeli military alleged it had acted to thwart stone-hurling in the area. The military stated that soldiers identified several individuals intending to hurl stones at a highway used by Israeli vehicles, prompting troops to fire toward them in order to remove the threat.

Israeli Forces Kill 14-Year-Old Palestinian Boy in West Bank Village of Burqa — Photo: Dawn

This localized operation unfolds against a broader backdrop of escalating fatalities in the territory. Figures published by Daily Sabah show that at least 1,116 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank by Israeli soldiers or settlers since the conflict began, whereas official data record at least 51 Israeli deaths resulting from violence during the identical timeframe.

B’Tselem previously documented that Israeli forces killed at least 241 children or teenagers in the territory between October 7, 2023, and late June.