Two Palestinian boys, Ahmad Ali Asaad Ashira al-Salah (15) and Muhammad Khaled Alian Issa (17), were killed by Israeli forces in al-Khader, south of Bethlehem, in the occupied West Bank. Their bodies were withheld by the Israeli army. At least 25 more Palestinians were arrested in multiple West Bank raids the same day. The incidents are part of a broader escalation of violence in the West Bank since the start of the war on Gaza.

Since October 7, 2023, at least 948 Palestinians, including 204 children, have been killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). From the beginning of 2024 to June 2025, over 2,200 Israeli settler attacks were reported, resulting in over 5,200 Palestinian injuries and nearly 36,000 forced displacements. Amjad Abu El Ezz, a lecturer at the Arab American University, stated that the violence is part of an Israeli strategy to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel’s parliament also symbolically voted to annex the West Bank. The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement condemned this as a dangerous escalation.

The ongoing violence and displacement in the West Bank have significant humanitarian consequences and exacerbate the already tense political situation.