Ramallah, December 8, 2025—Israeli forces killed a 17-year-old Palestinian boy in the southern occupied West Bank last week.
Muhannad Tariq Mohammad Zughair, 17, was killed by Israeli forces on December 2 around 4 a.m. in Hebron city in the southern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli forces allege that Muhannad attempted to run over a soldier, on December 1 around 9 p.m., at the Farsh al-Hawa checkpoint, resulting in a minor hand injury. Muhannad’s family received a call around 11:30 p.m. from someone who identified himself as Captain Younis. The caller demanded that Muhannad be handed over, claiming he was involved in a traffic accident. Following the incident at the checkpoint, Israeli forces pursued Muhannad and ultimately shot and killed him, announcing his death at 4 a.m. on December 2.
“Palestinian children like Muhannad grow up surrounded by Israeli military infrastructure and a rapidly expanding network of illegal settlements,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “This hypermilitarized environment robs Palestinian children of a normal childhood where they can enjoy their rights, and results in Israeli forces hunting down and executing a child accused of a crime.”
Muhannad’s father reported that his son likely turned onto Route 35 and headed towards the northeastern entrance to Hebron called the Ras al-Joura entrance, and continued towards Route 35 until arriving at the intersection of Route 35 and Route 60, where there is frequently a temporary Israeli military checkpoint or a parked police car.
Muhannad likely made a U-turn near checkpoint 35 because of a barrier there, where Israeli soldiers saw him making the U-turn and opened fire on the car. He then headed towards the northwest Hebron Junction, where three soldiers tried to stop him at the checkpoint. When one of them approached the car, the driver's side mirror likely hit the soldier’s hand.
After Israeli forces fired towards his car, Muhannad continued on his way into the city. He was seen in several locations near Al-Salam Street and the school intersection, but the car then disappeared, and the family was unable to find it or Muhannad.
Israeli forces announced the death of Muhannad in the vehicle around 4 a.m. the next day, which they found in the Wadi Aziz area, west of Hebron city, on a dirt road relatively far from houses. According to Muhannad's father, residents in the vicinity heard about four gunshots when the forces found the car.
Israeli forces arrested the young man whom Muhannad had driven home and took him to the location where the car was found. They asked him to identify Muhannad and he recognized him. After being released, he told the family that he only saw a wound on the right shoulder.
While the Al-Zughair family was busy preparing a place to receive mourners, Israeli forces stormed the place around 4:30 p.m. and threatened the family not to open a place to receive mourners.
As Israeli authorities have confiscated Muhannad’s body, DCIP is not able to verify the location or number of bullet wounds that Murad sustained.
Israeli forces subsequently deployed soldiers throughout Hebron and its surrounding areas, closing city entrances and raiding nearby neighborhoods in the Hebron governorate. They spread out in Ras al-Joura, the nearby University neighborhood, Ein Sarah, and Peace Street, reaching the city center in search of the vehicle suspected of carrying out the attempted ramming.
Israeli forces and settlers have killed 52 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2025, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
Israeli forces have withheld the bodies of at least 60 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 54 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.
In September 2019, the Israeli Supreme Court approved the practice of confiscating human remains after several legal challenges to the policy. On November 27, 2019, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett ordered all bodies of Palestinians alleged to have attacked Israeli citizens or soldiers to be withheld and not returned to their families. Israel is the only country in the world with such a policy of confiscating human remains, according to Adalah.
