Palestinian teenagers die from Israeli gunfire as settlers attack West Bank church

A Palestinian child and a teenager have died from injuries sustained in separate Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank, as Christian leaders issued an urgent call for protection following a settler attack on one of Palestine’s oldest churches.

Twelve-year-old Iyad Shalakhti died overnight from wounds sustained during an Israeli raid on Askar al-Jadid refugee camp in Nablus on Sunday, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement Wednesday. He was laid to rest the same morning.

In Hebron, 19-year-old Ahmed al-Awiwi succumbed to head injuries sustained nearly six months ago during another Israeli raid. He had been admitted to Al-Ahli Hospital a week ago for brain surgery, but his condition deteriorated and was pronounced dead late Tuesday.

Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military and settler attacks in the West Bank since the Gaza war began in October 2023.

In January, Israel launched a wide-ranging campaign dubbed 'Operation Iron Wall', which has involved repeated incursions into northern West Bank towns and refugee camps.

Israeli forces continue to demolish homes across the West Bank and in occupied East Jerusalem, claiming the structures lack Israeli-issued building permits, permits that Palestinians and rights groups say are nearly impossible to obtain.

In recent days, one home was demolished east of Nablus, five west of Ramallah, and another in Silwan near Jerusalem. Human rights monitors say the demolitions often come alongside raids that leave widespread damage and are part of a broader effort to force Palestinians from their land.

Local sources reported that far-right Israeli settlers also attacked homes in the town of Surif late Tuesday, setting fire to farmland. On Wednesday, settlers blocked a road between Aqraba and Majdal Bani Fadel, south of Nablus.

Settlers attack West Bank's last Christian town

In the Christian town of Taybeh, east of Ramallah, priests from the Greek Orthodox, Latin, and Melkite churches condemned a settler attack on the Church of St. George on Monday night.

In a joint statement on Tuesday, the priests said settlers deliberately set fires near the church and the town's cemetery. The Church of St. George is one of the oldest religious landmarks in Palestine, dating back to the 5th century.

"Were it not for the vigilance of local residents and swift intervention of firefighting teams, the damage could have been far more catastrophic," the statement said.

The priests added that settlers routinely graze cattle on privately owned farmland near people's homes in Taybeh, without any response from Israeli authorities. These provocations, they said, are damaging fields that provide essential income to local families.

"As priests, we bear a pastoral and moral responsibility toward our community. We cannot remain silent in the face of these relentless attacks that threaten our very existence to this land," the statement said.

Taybeh is the last remaining entirely Christian town in the West Bank. The church leaders called for an "immediate and transparent" investigation into the attack, as well as diplomatic pressure to stop settler violence.

They urged international and church delegations to visit Taybeh, assess the damage, and support the town’s residents through economic initiatives aimed at helping them remain on their land.