The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank: 16-year-old Rayyan Abdel Qader in Qabatiya and 22-year-old Ahmad Zayoud in Silat al-Harithiya. Witnesses and video footage described Abdel Qader being shot at close range and medics blocked from reaching him, while the Israeli military said both men attacked troops. The killings contribute to broader tensions: more than 1,100 Palestinians have died in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, and nearly 21,000 arrests have been reported.
Israeli Forces Kill Two Palestinians In West Bank, Including 16-Year-Old; Families, Witnesses Allege Medics Blocked
Rayyan Abdel Qader, 16, was fatally shot by Israeli forces who stormed the town of Qabatiya in the occupied West Bank [Screenshot]
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said late on Saturday that 16-year-old Rayyan Abdel Qader was fatally shot by Israeli forces after troops entered the town of Qabatiya in the occupied West Bank. A second Palestinian, 22-year-old Ahmad Zayoud, was killed in Silat al-Harithiya, west of Jenin, the ministry said.
Witnesses told the Wafa news agency that Israeli troops fired directly at Abdel Qader and then prevented emergency crews from reaching him, leaving him to bleed until he died. The agency reported that Israeli forces retained his body.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said Zayoud was shot in the chest. It also reported that a 15-year-old boy sustained a hand injury during the incidents. Zayoud’s killing follows the death of another 16-year-old in the same town about a week earlier.
Reporting from Bethlehem, Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim said surveillance footage shows Abdel Qader walking toward what locals identified as his home when he was shot “point-blank.” Ibrahim said forces then refused to allow anyone near the body for about 40 minutes — a pattern witnesses and observers have reported across the occupied West Bank.
“We don’t often have video surveillance to show how many of these killings have been done under what Palestinians call extrajudicial killings,” Ibrahim said. “It’s really part of the pain that the families have to endure, seeing videos like that showing how little regard the Israeli army has for Palestinian lives.”
The Israeli military said both deaths occurred after the men hurled a block and an explosive at soldiers. According to the military, Abdel Qader was shot after throwing a block at troops and Zayoud after throwing an explosive. The military said no Israeli soldiers were injured. Rights groups and Palestinian authorities often dispute such claims and call for independent investigations.
Since October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Health Ministry says 1,101 people have been killed in the occupied West Bank, including 229 children, and nearly 21,000 Palestinians have been detained. As of December 1, some 9,300 Palestinian detainees were reportedly held in Israeli prisons, more than a third without formal charges. Human-rights organisations allege that detainees have faced torture, sexual abuse and deaths in custody; Israel has confirmed the identities of 86 Palestinian detainees who died while in custody.
On Sunday, the Israeli government approved the construction of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move widely criticised by rights bodies and the international community as violating international law. Several rights organisations have also labelled Israeli actions in Gaza as genocidal, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on war crimes charges.
The report noted continuing violence in Gaza despite a ceasefire that took effect on October 10. Al Jazeera cited a medical source at al-Ahli Arab Hospital who said two Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday in the Shujayea neighbourhood of Gaza City, near the so-called yellow line that marks territory under Israeli military control. An Al Jazeera team also reported artillery shelling and helicopter gunfire near Israeli positions east of Khan Younis.
Separately, Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security said four people were killed when a three-storey house collapsed on Saturday night in Sheikh Radwan, Gaza City. The Palestinian Civil Defence said it rescued five people from the rubble, including a child and two women. Authorities say this brings to 18 the number of people killed in similar collapse incidents since the ceasefire began.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state news agency Anadolu that repeated violations of the ceasefire risk jeopardising a planned transition to a second phase of a US-brokered agreement. Fidan made the comments while joining diplomats from the United States, Egypt and Qatar in Miami to review the first phase of the October deal.
Calls for independent investigations, accountability and access for medical teams and observers continue as families demand answers and human-rights groups press for international scrutiny of operations in both the West Bank and Gaza.
