RAMALLAH: Israeli forces shot dead an 11-year-old boy in the occupied West Bank, his family and health officials said Friday, while the army said its troops opened fire at rock throwers.
The Palestinian health ministry said that Mohammad Hallaq was shot dead on Thursday by Israeli soldiers "in the town of Al-Rihiya, south of Hebron. The bullet penetrated his pelvis."
Hallaq's uncle, also named Mohammad Hallaq, told AFP the child was sitting in front of his house when an army patrol passed by during a confrontation with a group of older youths.
"(The soldiers) fired directly at (the older boys), and he was killed," the uncle told AFP, adding the child was sitting away from the youths.
The Israeli military told AFP that soldiers had shot and struck people during an altercation while deployed in Al-Rihiya.
"Soldiers responded with fire toward the suspects in the rock-hurling. Hits were identified," it said, using the language it generally uses to say troops shot and hit someone.
Ayed Abu Eqtaish, an official for Defence for Children International Palestine, a rights organisation, said the incident took place around 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), after which Hallaq was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.
The number of children and teenagers shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank after being suspected of throwing rocks dramatically increased in 2025.
A Palestinian teenager who held US citizenship was shot dead by the army in April, followed by a 14-year-old in June in the town of Sinjil in June, and a 15-year-old in July.
On each occasion, the military said the youths had thrown rocks at its troops.
The Palestinian health ministry also reported on Thursday evening that an adult, 20-year-old Mahdi Kamil, was killed by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya.
The Israeli military told AFP that its troops killed a Palestinian militant in Qabatiya on Thursday after he threw "an explosive device" towards soldiers deployed in the area.
"The soldiers responded with fire and eliminated the terrorist," it said.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 where violence has surged since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Since then, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 986 Palestinians in the West Bank, including many militants, according to health ministry figures.
Over the same period, at least 43 Israelis, including members of security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to official figures.
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