Two Palestinian youths were killed during a raid by Israeli settlers and forces on the village of al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing the village council head.
The victims were identified as Mohammad Na'ssan and Khalil Abu Aliya, both 19. The incident occurred Wednesday when villagers tried to confront a group of Israeli settlers; Israeli soldiers opened fire, critically wounding the two, who later died.
Village sources said Israeli forces positioned snipers on rooftops before the incident. Al-Mughayyir has become a flashpoint in recent months as Israeli settlers repeatedly target the only road into the village, where vehicles are often attacked.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 79 Palestinians, including 19 children, have been killed in the West Bank by settlers or Israeli forces since the start of 2026. At least 1,870 Palestinians have been injured.
In a related development, Israeli forces on Tuesday fired tear gas into a mosque in Madama, causing several people to choke. Hours earlier, Israeli settlers attempted to set fire to another mosque in the nearby town of Bazariya.
The wave of settler violence, often backed by Israeli forces, is causing unease among Israel's allies. Last month, a three-week siege of a Palestinian home in Qusra by settlers prompted a rare statement from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israel and settlements.
The European Union (EU) is considering a ban on goods produced in settlements.
In late August, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, said settler attacks continue with “almost no accountability.” Many experts, including Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, increasingly describe these attacks as pogroms—organized, often state-backed attacks against an ethnic minority.
