A Palestinian-American boy was killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank, local officials say.
It is unclear exactly who shot Omar Mohammad Rabea, formerly from northern New Jersey, on Sunday in the village of Turmus Ayya, which has a large population of American citizens. The village’s mayor said he was shot by an Israeli settler, while the Palestinian Foreign Ministry blamed the Israeli military for the shooting, according to Reuters.
On Sunday, the Israeli military posted on social media that its forces fired on three people in Turmus Ayya, killing one and injuring the other two. The military said they had been throwing rocks at a highway where civilians were driving. The post did not identify those killed.
“The terrorists constituted a danger to civilians,” the Israel Defense Forces posted. “IDF forces will continue to defend and attack across Judea and Samaria for the security of local residents.”
The State Department, in response to an inquiry, confirmed that a U.S. citizen had died in the West Bank and cited the Israeli military’s statement.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” the State Department said. “We acknowledge the IDF initial statement that expressed that this incident occurred during a counter-terrorism operation and that Israel is investigating. Out of respect for the privacy of the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment at this time.”
Violence has escalated across the West Bank since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war 18 months ago. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed, and thousands arrested, in Israeli counterterror raids, and dozens of Israelis have been killed in Palestinian terror attacks.
Israeli forces killed a Turkish-American woman, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who was protesting in the West Bank in September. The IDF expressed its “deepest regret” about that incident, which it said was unintentional. The Biden administration had called on Israel to investigate the incident.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Rabea’s killing, saying, “If the Trump administration really wants to put ‘America first,’ its first duty is to protect the lives of American citizens.” The incident came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to meet with several Trump administration officials, including the president, in Washington, D.C.
This article has been updated with a statement from the State Department.
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