Israeli attacks kill eight people in Gaza and a teenager in the West Bank

What Happened

On Monday, an Israeli drone struck the Wadi al-Salqa bridge on al-Baraka Street in central Gaza, killing 8-year-old Malik Wael Abu Shaweesh, Ali Fayez Isbaitan, and Hassan Salman al-Hanajra, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency. Later that day, an Israeli airstrike hit a beach in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killing two people and wounding 27, Gaza’s civil defence agency said. In the occupied West Bank, a 15-year-old boy, Ahmad Jawad Jaber, was shot in the chest and head during an Israeli raid in the Umm al-Sharayit neighbourhood of el-Bireh, near Ramallah, and died en route to hospital, the Palestinian health ministry said. Governor Laila Ghannam described the killing as a 'clear-cut execution in broad daylight.' Separately, Israeli rights group B’Tselem released a report documenting that Israeli forces have killed 241 Palestinian children and teenagers in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, and claimed that Israeli authorities have refused to return some of the bodies, calling the pattern 'unprecedented.' These incidents add to a mounting toll: overall at least 1,085 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces or settlers since October 7, 2023, while in Gaza the Hamas-run health ministry has reported more than 73,000 fatalities over the same period.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The reported killings underscore the continued high civilian toll across the Palestinian territories, particularly among children, amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and raids in the West Bank. The B’Tselem report draws attention to the scale of child fatalities in the West Bank — often overshadowed by the larger death toll in Gaza — and accuses Israeli forces of acting with impunity. Such documentation may fuel international legal proceedings and increase pressure on Israel from Western allies over its conduct in the occupied territories.

Watch For

Monitor any official Israeli response to the B’Tselem report and whether international bodies, including the UN or the ICC, reference its findings. Watch for further escalation, including possible retaliatory attacks from Palestinian factions in the West Bank or Gaza. The ongoing Israeli raid tactics in West Bank cities like el-Bireh and Ramallah may trigger additional confrontations and civilian casualties.