Israeli forces killed two Palestinian teenagers, 15-year-old Ahmad Ali Asaad Ashira al-Salah and 17-year-old Muhammad Khaled Alian Issa, during a raid in al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, according to Wafa news agency.
The Israeli army withheld the bodies of the slain youths, while two other children were injured in the gunfire.
This deadly raid coincided with the arrest of at least 25 Palestinians across multiple West Bank towns, including Beit Ummar, Idhna, Dura al-Qari, Ramallah, al-Mazraa ash-Sharqiya, and Nablus.
Since October, 2023, Israeli violence in the West Bank has surged, with 948 Palestinians, including 204 children, killed by Israeli soldiers, per UN figures.
Israeli settlers, often backed by the military, have conducted over 2,200 attacks from January 2024 to June 2025, injuring more than 5,200 Palestinians and displacing nearly 36,000 through military operations, settler violence, and home demolitions.
These actions aim to make Palestinian lives untenable, forcing them off their land to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to Amjad Abu El Ezz, a lecturer at the Arab American University.
Israel’s parliament recently passed a symbolic, non-binding vote (71-13) calling for the annexation of the West Bank, referring to it as “Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.”
This move, supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, signals Israel’s intent to entrench control over the occupied territory, despite settlements being illegal under international law.
Such moves deepen the systemic oppression of Palestinians, further entrenching Israel’s occupation while undermining prospects for peace and self-determination.