Ramallah, March 17, 2026—Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian boy northeast of Ramallah last night.
Salim Sami Salmi Fuqaha, 16, was shot and killed by Israeli forces around 10 p.m. on March 16 near the village of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli forces opened fire on Salim and 15-year-old Fathi Ali Fathi Al-Sahouri, who survived the attack, then prevented Palestinian Red Crescent Society paramedics from reaching the boys for two and a half hours.
Israeli forces confiscated Salim’s body, and therefore DCIP cannot confirm the number or nature of his injuries.
Paramedics brought Fathi to Istishari Hospital in Ramallah, where he is currently receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the shoulder.
The shooting took place in an area near the barrier established by Israeli forces about a year and a half ago on land belonging to the village of Sinjil, isolating it from Route 60, which has led to escalating tensions in the area. This area frequently witnesses live fire by Israeli forces toward anyone suspected of being present nearby, without distinction, making it a dangerous zone that constantly threatens civilians’ lives.
Israeli forces have killed seven Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2026, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Israeli forces and settlers killed 56 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2025.
Israeli forces have withheld the bodies of at least 64 Palestinian children since June 2016, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Six of the children’s bodies have since been released to their families, while 58 Palestinian children’s bodies remain withheld by Israeli authorities. Israel’s practice of withholding Palestinian bodies is a form of collective punishment, a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, and deprives Palestinian families of the ability to lay their children to rest.
