Israeli forces kill two Palestinian teens in West Bank amid surging settler violence that includes mosque arson and international condemnation.
DAYR ISTIYA: Israeli soldiers killed two 15-year-old Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to Palestinian authorities.
The Israeli military identified the teens as “terrorists” attempting to carry out an attack near Karmei Zur settlement.
Neither side provided specific details about the incident.
The deaths occurred as Israel recovered the body of hostage Meny Godard from Gaza through the Red Cross.
Forensics experts confirmed the 73-year-old French-Israeli was killed during Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers burned the Hajja Hamida mosque near Deir Istiya, blackening walls and destroying copies of the Koran.
The Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the “blatant violation of places of worship” and “deep-rooted racism” of settlers.
Israeli security forces responded to the arson but identified no suspects after reviewing footage.
The military condemned “any form of violence” while transferring the investigation to police.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the mosque attack “unacceptable” through spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
“Such incidents are part of an increasing pattern of extremist violence that must stop immediately,” Dujarric stated.
The arson occurred one day after Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir pledged to halt settler violence.
Zamir condemned recent attacks by Israeli civilians against Palestinians as crossing “a red line.”
Settler violence has surged across the West Bank in recent weeks, drawing international condemnation.
October 2025 recorded the worst settler violence since UN monitoring began in 2006, with 264 attacks.
Almost no perpetrators have been held accountable by Israeli authorities.
The West Bank has experienced escalating violence since the Gaza war began in October 2023.
Palestinian health ministry figures show 1,003 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces or settlers during this period.
Israeli officials report 43 Israelis killed in Palestinian attacks in the West Bank over the same timeframe. – AFP
