Palestinian mourners and local officials say Israeli settlers descended from a nearby hill and opened fire on a school in the occupied West Bank village of Al-Mughayyir, killing two people — including a 14-year-old student — while children were taking exams.
Attack During Exams, Villagers Say
Residents identified the victims as Aws Hamdi al-Naasan, 14, and Jihad Marzouq Abu Naim, 32. According to the school principal, Bassam Abu Assaf, students were taking their monthly exams when settlers advanced toward the building.
"The students were taking their monthly exams. Suddenly, we were shocked to see settlers advancing towards the school and attacking it," Abu Assaf told AFP.
Teachers reportedly ordered students to sit on the floor and crouch for cover as shooting intensified. Abu Assaf said Naasan was killed while trying to flee the school gates and that Abu Naim was shot while attempting to rescue children. An AFP journalist later observed bloodstains outside the school.
Conflicting Accounts and an Ongoing Investigation
The Israeli military said it was examining the incident. Military statements said soldiers were dispatched after a report that stones had been thrown at an Israeli vehicle carrying several civilians, including a reserve soldier, and that a person who exited the vehicle opened fire at suspected attackers. The military said troops then "acted to disperse the violent confrontation." The statement did not provide a detailed timeline.
Village officials and school staff dispute the military's account. Abu Assaf and other locals told AFP that soldiers were present alongside settlers when the attack on the school began and that additional troops arrived separately. Many West Bank settlers are reservists who sometimes wear military uniforms when off duty, which residents say can blur lines between civilians and soldiers.
Evidence, Video, and Aftermath
A video shared on social media and verified on site by an AFP journalist appears to show at least one man firing an assault rifle toward the western side of the school building. Witnesses say some assailants carried guns as they descended from the hill.
The funeral for Naasan on Wednesday was briefly disrupted when an Israeli armoured vehicle drove near the procession; dozens of boys threw stones and chased the vehicle until elders pulled them back and soldiers fired tear gas. Mourners later continued the procession, carrying Palestinian flags.
Wider Context
Residents say settler-related violence across the West Bank has risen since the start of the regional war on February 28. Villagers in Al-Mughayyir report repeated attacks on farmland and olive groves near settler outposts, leaving fields fallow and trees destroyed.
The Naasan family has already suffered previous losses. Relatives said Aws's father, Hamdi al-Naasan, was killed in 2019 in an incident attributed to settlers. "He was all we had," Hamdi's mother, Rehab Naasan, told AFP. "And yesterday, his son, his son was martyred."
The incident remains under investigation by the Israeli military. Local residents and witnesses have urged a thorough and transparent inquiry into what happened and who was responsible.
