Ramallah, March 16, 2026—Israeli forces killed two young Palestinian boys and their parents in the northern occupied West Bank yesterday.
Othman Ali Khaled Bani Odeh, six, and his brother Mohammad, five, were shot and killed by Israeli forces while riding in the backseat of their family’s car around 1:30 a.m. on March 15 in the western area of the Palestinian town of Tammoun in the northern occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli special forces opened fire suddenly and without warning on the car from a distance of about 50 meters (164 feet) away. Parents Ali and Waad and their four children were returning to their home in Tammoun from a visit to Nablus that evening.
The shooting continued for about three minutes, after which the family’s two older sons, 11-year-old Khaled and eight-year-old Mustafa, got out of the car and cried out for help. Israeli forces arrived on scene shortly after, physically assaulting the two boys and preventing paramedics from reaching the wounded family members still inside the car. After about 30 minutes, Israeli forces finally permitted paramedics to reach the family, and all six of them were transported to the Turkish Governmental Hospital in Tubas.
Othman and Mohammad, along with their parents, were pronounced dead on arrival.
Othman was shot in the face and also sustained shrapnel injuries to the head, neck, shoulders, and chest. Mohammad suffered shrapnel injuries to the face, head, left eye, neck, chest, and shoulders, according to the medical report issued by the hospital and by Palestine Red Crescent Society medical teams.
Khaled and Mustafa survived the attack but both sustained shrapnel wounds.
Israeli forces have killed six 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.
