UN data shows 22 Palestinian children killed in West Bank since January
A 14-year-old boy died in Burqa on Monday, adding to a yearly toll that includes 98 total deaths.
By Justin Barnes ·
Moataz Daghlas, 14, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the village of Burqa on Monday evening. The Palestinian health ministry identified the body and noted that his family reported Israeli authorities were holding the remains. Two other Palestinians were injured in the same operation.
The Israeli military stated that its troops saw several people they described as terrorists preparing to throw stones. Soldiers fired to remove the threat in an area where vehicles had previously been targeted. The Red Crescent treated a 17-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to the abdomen and pelvis, and a 19-year-old man with a wound to the hand.
Red Crescent paramedics said Israeli forces blocked their access to a third wounded person and detained three volunteer medics during the incident. Wafa, the Palestinian news agency, provided the ages and specific injuries of the two survivors.
United Nations data indicates that at least 98 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the start of 2026. That total includes 22 children. Over the same period, six Israelis were killed by Palestinians in the territory.
The UN Human Rights Office verified that 241 Palestinian children have died in the West Bank since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Most of those victims were teenage boys. The office found that in many cases, authorities cited stone-throwing as the reason for using lethal force.
Israeli rules of engagement were expanded after the 2023 attacks, giving soldiers more discretion to use lethal force when they perceive a threat. The UN office concluded that none of the children killed during confrontations presented an imminent threat to life. International law identifies an imminent threat as the sole legal basis for using lethal force in the territory.
