Palestinian American teen shot dead by Israeli soldiers in West Bank, official says

(CNN) — Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian-American teenager and wounded two others in the occupied West Bank on Sunday night, according to Palestinian officials, after the Israeli military said it targeted a group throwing stones at cars.

Ramallah governor Laila Ghannam said the 14-year-old Palestinian-American boy was shot dead by Israeli troops in the village of Turmusaya. Two other Palestinian-American boys, ages 14 and 15, were injured in the incident, according to the mayor of Turmusaya, Lafi Shalabi.

The Israeli military said its soldiers opened fire during a counterterrorism operation in Turmusaya when they saw three “terrorists who hurled rocks toward the highway, thus endangering civilians driving.”

The soldiers killed one and hit the other two, the military said.

The military shared a blurry video purportedly showing the incident, in which three figures are seen. At the end of the short clip, one of the figures appears to hurl an object. The Israeli military said it would continue operating in the West Bank “to protect the residents in the area.”

The injured boys were shot in the abdomen, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

One severely injured boy and another with minor wounds were taken to a hospital in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said.

The killing of a Palestinian-American teenager came just hours before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in the United States to meet President Donald Trump. On Monday a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the death of a US citizen in the West Bank, offered condolences to the family and noted the death “occurred during a counter-terrorism operation” and that the Israeli military was investigating.

“Out of respect for the privacy of the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment at this time,” the spokesperson said. And on Tuesday US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said the US needs “to learn more about the nature of what happened on the ground.”

The teenager grew up in New Jersey, according to Governor Phil Murphy, who expressed his condolences for the boy’s family.

The killing or detention of American citizens in occupied Palestinian territories by Israelis and concerns about a lack of accountability date back years. In 2003, American activist Rachel Corrie, 23, was crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer while trying to block it from razing Palestinian homes in Gaza. Nine years later, an Israeli civil court ruled her death an accident.

In spring 2022, prominent Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed while reporting in the West Bank. That November, Defense Minister Benny Gantz confirmed that Israel would not cooperate with a US probe into her death. A CNN investigation suggested that Abu Akleh was shot dead in a targeted attack by Israeli forces, despite wearing a vest marked “Press.”

In February last year, Florida-born US citizen Mohammed Khdour, 17, was killed by Israeli forces who shot him in the head while he was in his car. The teenager was taking the car out during a study break, snacking on chocolate waffles, posing for Instagram.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) referred questions about Khdour’s case to the Israeli Security Agency, known as the Shin Bet, which did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

Three weeks before Khdour’s death, Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, a 17-year-old Palestinian-American who grew up in Louisiana, was also shot in the head by apparent Israeli gunmen. The IDF told CNN they received a report that an off-duty police officer and an Israeli civilian shot at a Palestinian “suspected of throwing stones” – which his family vehemently denied – and that the Israeli Police were investigating the shooting.

Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank have intensified since late January following the launch of an expanded military campaign there almost immediately after the Gaza ceasefire began. Since then, roughly 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes.

The Israeli military says it is targeting Palestinian militant groups who have mounted attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, but Palestinians and human rights groups say the expanded assault is increasingly indiscriminate – killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure in a manner consistent with collective punishment. In late February, Israel deployed tanks to the occupied West Bank for the first time in two decades.

This story has been updated with additional information and context

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