Israeli forces shot dead 14-year-old Mohammed Naasan in al-Mughayyir near Ramallah during a raid, Palestinian sources reported. The Israeli military said soldiers fired after a youth ran toward them "carrying a rock," while Wafa and witnesses say Naasan was hit in the back and chest. UN and humanitarian agencies place the death amid a wider surge of West Bank violence tied to the Gaza war and political moves to annex territory, and rights groups have accused Israeli forces of permissive open-fire practices that put children at heightened risk.
14-Year-Old Mohammed Naasan Killed During Israeli Army Raid In West Bank Village
A general view of the Palestinian village of al-Mughayyir, where 14-year-old Mohammed Naasan was shot and killed by Israeli troops on January 16, 2026 [File: Ammar Awad/Reuters]
Israeli forces shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammed Naasan, on Friday during an army operation in the village of al-Mughayyir near Ramallah, Palestinian officials and local witnesses said.
What Happened
According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa and local residents, troops stormed the village and opened fire while confronting residents. Wafa reported that Naasan was struck in the back and chest.
Israeli military statement: Soldiers fatally shot the youth because he was "running towards them carrying a rock."
Accounts And Local Context
Palestinian witnesses and Wafa also said the killing followed an earlier incident in which Israeli settlers, accompanied by army personnel, entered an area south of al-Mughayyir and fired live rounds. Local accounts describe heightened tensions in the area during the raid.
Wider Context
Humanitarian groups and regional observers place Naasan's killing within a broader surge of violence across the occupied West Bank that has intensified since Israel's large-scale military operations in Gaza began in October 2023. The Gaza conflict has resulted in more than 71,000 reported deaths since October 2023, according to multiple reports.
Experts quoted in regional reporting have linked the increase in military and settler attacks to a combination of the Gaza war and political moves by far-right Israeli figures to formalize annexation of parts of the West Bank. Observers say such pressures may be driving forced displacement and heightened insecurity for Palestinian communities.
Casualty And Incident Statistics
United Nations figures show that at least 240 Palestinians, including 55 children, were killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank last year. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded more than 1,800 settler attacks in 2025 that resulted in casualties or property damage — an average of about five incidents per day and the highest daily average since OCHA began tracking such attacks in 2006.
Rights Groups' Concerns
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem has said the military operates an "open-fire policy" that permits what the group describes as an unjustified use of lethal force and signals a deep disregard for Palestinian lives. Defence for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P) has warned that "decades of systemic impunity" have created conditions in which children in the West Bank face an increased risk of lethal force.
This article presents the reported facts and statements from Palestinian sources, the Israeli military, UN agencies and human-rights organizations. Where claims are contested, the article attributes them to their sources.
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