Ramallah, February 19, 2026—A 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed Tuesday afternoon in a possible UXO explosion in the northern occupied West Bank.
Mohammad Ibrahim Salim Abu Dallakh, 14, was picking akkoub plants in the Jabal Farush area near Beit Dajan with other children around 2 p.m. on February 17 when an explosion occurred, killing him and injuring two other children, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli forces were conducting a military drill nearby. They provided first aid to the children at the scene before transporting all three by military helicopter to an Israeli hospital. Mohammad’s death was announced at 4 p.m. and his body was later handed over to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society for transfer to Jericho Governmental Hospital before being released to his family.
Mohammad sustained direct injuries to his head and neck in addition to shrapnel injuries all over his body, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
The two injured children, who are brothers, are still hospitalized in Israel and their family have not been allowed access to detailed information about their condition. Their mother is seeking a permit to enter Israel and visit them.
Additional children, including Mohammad’s brother, were also picking akkoub nearby, but they were far enough from the blast that they did not sustain any physical injuries. All of the children were from the Palestinian village of Al-Jiftlik in the Jericho governorate.
Israeli forces have seized many large pieces of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank for use as training grounds and routinely carry out military drills in close proximity to Palestinian civilians, often leaving behind UXOs.
