Israeli forces kill Palestinian child, assault worshippers in occupied West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child on Friday during a raid on the village of Al-Mughayyir, east of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, and assaulted worshippers as they left prayers, Palestinian media reported.

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli forces entered Al-Mughayyir from the al-Khalayel area and opened heavy live fire toward residents, killing a 13-year-old child.

Israeli forces later attacked worshippers as they exited the western Al-Mughayyir mosque after Friday prayers, firing stun grenades and tear gas canisters at them, the agency added.

The village has been subjected to ongoing attacks by illegal Israeli settlers, under the protection of Israeli forces, WAFA said. Illegal settlers stormed the al-Khalayel area south of the village early Friday, fired live fire in its surroundings and carried out repeated assaults targeting residents and their property.

Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 1,107 Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, injured nearly 11,000, and detained around 21,000 since October 2023, Palestinian figures showed.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.