'Israel' kills 11-year-old child, 20-year-old youth in West Bank

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Oct 2025 23:29
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The Israeli occupation's fatal aggression on the occupied West Bank intensifies, killing two Palestinians in cold blood.

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The pictures of 20-year-old Mahdi Ahmad Kmeil and 11-year-old Mohammad Bahjat al-Hallaq (illustrated by Al Mayadeen English/ Ali al-Hadi Shmeis)

Two Palestinians, including a child, were killed by Israeli occupation forces in cold blood in the West Bank today.

A Palestinian youth was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces on Thursday evening during a raid in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The Ministry identified the victim as 20-year-old Mahdi Ahmad Kmeil, who was fatally wounded when Israeli forces opened fire after storming the town.

🚨🇵🇸 Mahdi Ahmed Kamil, 20 y old was shot and martyred in the town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin, this evening for no reason at all.

Israel terrorism doesn't stop.

There is no peace don't fall for psyop keep your eyes on Palestine. pic.twitter.com/RA1RKAWfsR
— 🔻Firstblood🔻 (@FirstbloodH) October 16, 2025

Witnesses said Israeli infantry units had earlier deployed across Qabatiya’s streets, searching several homes and detaining one Palestinian before the fatal shooting occurred.

Earlier, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammad Bahjat al-Hallaq, was killed after being shot by Israeli occupation forces in the town of al-Rihiya, south of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank.

According to local sources, al-Hallaq sustained critical injuries when Israeli occupation forces opened live fire on a group of children playing football at the playground of al-Rihiya Girls’ Secondary School.

🔴 Mohammad al-Hallaq, a 4th grade #student at al-Farouq Boys Basic School in South #Hebron Education Directorate, was killed today by the #IsraeliOccupation forces during a raid on his village al-Rihiya.#PalEduMin🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/sFBg4ftUOx
— Ministry of Education and Higher Education (@PalestineMoE) October 16, 2025

Witnesses said the forces deliberately targeted the children, and al-Hallaq was targeted by a bullet that pierced his pelvis. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but later succumbed to his wounds.

The child Mohammad Bjahat Al-Hallaq (10 years old) was killed by Israeli occupation forces in the village of Al-Rihiya, south of Hebron, in the West Bank. pic.twitter.com/gyFiSZLrPJ
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) October 16, 2025

Shortly after the shooting, Israeli invading units fired tear gas grenades during a raid on al-Rihiya village, spreading panic among residents and students in nearby homes and schools.

Escalating Israeli aggression across the occupied West Bank

Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, confrontations erupted in several towns as Israeli raids continued. In Qabatiya, south of Jenin, Israeli occupation forces opened fire with live ammunition, injuring one young man and detaining another.

In Beit Furik, east of Nablus, Israeli occupation forces raided Palestinian homes and damaged property, prompting confrontations with the residents.

Meanwhile, in Qalqilya, the IOF intensified their campaign in the village of Kafr Qaddum, raiding homes and firing tear gas canisters, while in the Ainun area east of Tubas, Israeli occupation forces carried out additional raids, intimidating and harassing Palestinians.

Local observers say the latest Israeli killing of a child underscores a pattern of escalating Israeli aggression across the occupied West Bank, where regular raids, arrests, and deadly shootings have become daily occurrences.

As Gaza ceasefire holds, West Bank faces rising tensions: FP

The recent ceasefire in Gaza, which includes the return of captives and the entry of humanitarian aid, has been met with cautious optimism. While many have welcomed the truce, observers warn against complacency.

However, Daniel C. Kurtzer a former US ambassador to Egypt and "Israel", and Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace state in an analysis for Foreign Policy Magazine that despite the deal’s potential to bring a measure of relief to Palestinians in Gaza, attention is now shifting to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the West Bank.

Brokered with the involvement of US President Donald Trump’s administration, the ceasefire marks a diplomatic achievement that had been in discussion for over a year. But the writers note that it risks being overshadowed by intensifying violence and territorial shifts taking place beyond Gaza.

In the months leading up to the Palestinian Resistance's October 7 operation, conditions in the West Bank had already been deteriorating. What began as warnings of a possible third Intifada has since escalated into widespread unrest.

The analysts say that since October 2023, the number of Israeli settlement outposts has surged. An additional 114 outposts have been established, adding to the 190 already present. These new structures, whether residential or agricultural, have led to increased land grabs, with approximately 13,600 acres of Palestinian land stolen through designations such as "state land" and military seizure orders. At least 68 agricultural sites have also received full infrastructure support.

Meanwhile, 11 previously unauthorized outposts have been retroactively legalized by the Israeli government. The writers say the aggressive pace of settlement expansion has not only fueled Palestinian anger but also undercut prospects for any meaningful peace.