Ramallah, April 10, 2025—Israeli forces shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian-American boy in the central occupied West Bank on Sunday.
Amer Mohammad Sa'adeh Rabie, 14, was shot and killed by Israeli forces around 5:30 p.m. on April 6 near the Rafid (Haniya) area at the main entrance to the Palestinian town of Turmus'ayya, north of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Amer, alongside two other Palestinian children, were picking green almonds on the agricultural land adjacent to Route 60, when Israeli soldiers started shooting at the children from a distance of about 20 meters (66 feet) away. Amer was shot in the head and immediately collapsed.
“Not even an American passport can protect Palestinian children under Israeli military occupation,” said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, accountability program director at DCIP. “Israeli forces routinely target Palestinian children with lethal force with complete impunity in direct contravention of Israel’s obligations under international law. Will the United States finally act to hold Israel accountable for the death of one of its citizens?”
Israeli forces withheld Amer’s body for about five hours, eventually delivering his body near the Huwara military checkpoint around midnight. His body had sustained about 13 bullet wounds in addition to the initial head wound, completely disfiguring his body. It remains unclear if these additional shots were fired before or after his body was detained.
The other two children were shot a total of four times and sustained injuries to their stomachs and genitals. The injured children tried to carry Amer to safety but, due to the intensity of the shooting, were unable. Israeli forces fired approximately 46 bullets toward the children, according to information collected by DCIP.
The injured children were transported by ambulance to the Istishari Hospital in Ramallah. En route, their ambulance was stopped at an unofficial Israeli checkpoint erected by militant Israeli settlers. The paramedics and accompanying family members were forced to exit their vehicles and sit on their knees with their hands raised, delaying their route to the hospital.
Amer is the third Palestinian-American child killed in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Mohammad Ahmed Mohammad Khdour, 17, was fatally shot in the head by Israeli forces on February 10, 2024 in the town of Biddu. Weeks earlier, Tawfiq Hajez Tawfiq Ajaq was shot and killed on January 19, 2024 as Israeli soldiers and an Israeli settler opened fire on him.
Israeli forces have killed 20 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2025, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
194 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023, according to documentation collected by DCIP.
The United States has a clear legal obligation to protect its citizens. As Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted and killed American citizens, continued U.S. support, both political and financial, constitutes a flagrant disregard for its duty to safeguard the lives and rights of its citizens.
Under international law, intentional lethal force is only justified in circumstances where a direct threat to life or of serious injury is present. However, investigations and evidence collected by DCIP regularly suggest that Israeli forces use lethal force against Palestinian children in circumstances that may amount to extrajudicial or wilful killings.
In 2024, Israeli forces and settlers killed at least 93 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Israeli forces and settlers shot and killed 71 Palestinian children with live ammunition, 17 Palestinian children were killed in drone strikes, three Palestinian children were killed in an Israeli warplane airstrike, one child was killed by Israeli-fired ground shell, and one child was killed by unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind by Israeli forces.
