Palestinian officials identified the 14-year-old US citizen as Omar Mohammed Rabea.
A Palestinian-American teenager has been shot and killed by an Israeli Jewish settler in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities have said.
Palestinian officials identified the 14-year-old as Omar Mohammed Rabea and said he was near a settlement in Turmus Aya when the settler opened fire.
There have been sharp rises in settler violence, incursions, attacks and arson against Palestinians and their property in the territory since Israel’s war in Gaza began. The Israeli army has also been carrying out a sustained assault on the territory in various cities and towns.
Rabea was shot along with two other teenagers by the settler, said the town’s Mayor Adeeb Lafi.
Palestinian officials condemned the shooting. “This is yet another example of the ongoing Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, with impunity,” one official said.
The victim’s family has not yet made a public statement, but they have expressed their grief over their loss.
International criticism of Israeli settlement expansion and Jewish settler violence has been mounting, drawing condemnation from human rights groups worldwide.
Israeli forces have opened an investigation into the killing, but there has been no immediate comment from authorities. The Israeli military and settlers operate for the most part without fear of judicial repercussions in Palestinian areas.
There have been several cases of US citizens being killed by Israelis in the occupied West Bank.
In 2024, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, a 26-year-old Turkish-American activist, was shot in the head by an Israeli soldier while protesting against illegal Israeli settlements, according to witnesses.
Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian-American journalist for Al Jazeera, was also killed by the Israeli military in 2022 while reporting in the occupied West Bank, despite being clearly identified as a member of the press.