Two Palestinians Killed During Raid by Settlers and Israeli Forces in West Bank

Two Palestinian teenagers were killed during a raid by settlers and Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. The incident occurred in the village of al-Mughayyir, which has experienced repeated attacks by illegal Israeli settlers and Israeli forces in recent months. The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that the victims were identified as Mohammad Na’ssan and Khalil Abu Aliya, both 19 years old. According to the head of the village council, as residents attempted to confront the settlers, Israeli soldiers opened fire, critically wounding two young men who later died from their injuries. Sources from the village indicated that snipers had taken positions on rooftops prior to the killings. Since the beginning of 2026, at least 79 Palestinians, including 19 children, have been killed in the occupied West Bank by settlers or Israeli forces, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Additionally, at least 1,870 Palestinians have been reported wounded. Settler attacks in al-Mughayyer have primarily targeted the village’s only access road, with vehicles regularly attacked. A recent incident on August 20 resulted in 11 Palestinians being wounded. On Tuesday, Israeli forces reportedly fired tear gas into a mosque in Madama, affecting those inside, while earlier attempts were made by Israeli settlers to set fire to a mosque in the nearby town of Bazariya. The increase in settler violence, often supported by Israeli forces, has raised concerns among Israel’s allies. Last month, a three-week siege by settlers on a Palestinian home in Qusra, south of Nablus, drew criticism from U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The European Union is also considering a ban on goods produced by settlers. In late August, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process, stated that settler attacks have continued with 'virtually no accountability.' Experts, including UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese, have suggested that these attacks may fit the definition of pogroms, which are organized and often state-backed assaults on targeted minorities.