Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Youth Near West Bank's al-Khalil

By Al Mayadeen English

14 Dec 2025 21:28

A 23-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli occupation forces near al-Khalil, as raids, clashes, and demolition orders escalate across the West Bank.

A Palestinian youth was killed on Sunday evening after being shot by Israeli occupation forces north of the city of al-Khalil of the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ministry said Mohammad Wael al-Sharouf, 23, succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head after Israeli soldiers opened fire on him at the northern entrance of al-Khalil. Witnesses said the soldiers left him bleeding at the scene, prevented ambulance crews from reaching him, and later withheld his body, while occupation forces sealed all main entrances to the city.

Israeli forces also raided the home of the slain youth in the town of Nuba, west of al-Khalil, amid heightened military deployment in the area.

In parallel incidents, confrontations erupted between Palestinian residents and Israeli occupation forces in the village of Aboud, northwest of Ramallah, without reports of injuries or arrests. Occupation forces also stormed the village of Deir Jarir, northeast of Ramallah, though no arrests or home raids were reported.

Separately, an Israeli military order was issued for the demolition of 25 residential buildings in Nur Shams refugee camp, east of the city of Tulkarm in the northern occupied West Bank, marking another escalation in ongoing Israeli measures across the territory.

Israeli forces kill teen in Jenin

Since dawn on Sunday, Israeli occupation forces have carried out extensive raids and arrests across various areas of the West Bank, raiding Palestinian homes and assaulting residents.

In al-Khalil, the IOF arrested several former detainees and university students, turning the home of detainee Mazen al-Natsheh into a field investigation site. Some of those detained were released after interrogation.

Additionally, three brothers from Halhul were briefly detained following a home raid in which their belongings were destroyed before being released later.

In Nablus, Israeli forces arrested Mohammad Ramadan after raiding his home in Tal village, southwest of the city, and detained several youths in the town of al-Zawiya, west of Salfit.

In Tulkarm, former detainee Saad Qasim and several other young men were detained during a raid on Yamon village, west of Jenin.

Israeli occupation forces also raided al-Mughayir village, northeast of Ramallah, closing the entrances of Attara and Ruwabi, while setting up a checkpoint near Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah. Raids and detentions continued in Salem village, east of Nablus, and in the Umm al-Sharayet neighborhood in al-Bireh.

Administrative detainee killed in custody

Moreover, Administrative detainee Sakhr Ahmad Khalil Zaoul, 26, from the town of Husan, west of Beit Lahm, was killed while in Israeli custody.

The Prisoners’ Media Office mourned the death of Zaoul, which was announced on Sunday by the Civil Affairs Authority, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

Zaoul had been held in administrative detention since June 11, 2025, in Ofer Prison. According to his family, he did not suffer from any chronic illnesses. His brother, Khalil Zaoul, remains imprisoned in Israeli detention facilities.

The Prisoners’ Media Office attributed Zaoul’s death to what it described as the occupation’s ongoing policy of “slow execution” against Palestinian detainees. It said detainees are subjected to harsh conditions, deprived of the most basic necessities of life, and exposed to torture, starvation, medical neglect, and physical and psychological abuse, leading to an increasing number of deaths inside Israeli prisons.