Israeli soldiers have demolished an entire West Bank village and killed two teenagers, continuing a surge of violence against Palestinians in the occupied territory.
The destruction of Khirbet Al Tabban on Wednesday displaced 12 families, totalling 70 people, 28 of whom are children, the Israeli rights group B’Tselem reported.
Over several hours, Israeli forces destroyed all homes in the village, agricultural structures and water cisterns, among other property. It is the 66th Palestinian community Israel has forcibly displaced since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, that triggered the Gaza war.
Hours later, the Israeli military killed two teenagers from the village of Al Mughayyir, near the Palestinian capital Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The dead were named as 16-year-old Khalil Shehadeh and 19-year-old Omar Al Naasan. Palestinian news agency Wafa said the killings happened during an attack on the village by Israeli settlers, who were accompanied by Israeli troops. Israel’s military said it was providing security for “police and a civilian” who were trying to return livestock.
“During the forces’ activity in the area, a violent riot broke out, during which terrorists hurled cinder blocks and stones at the forces,” the military added. “The forces responded by firing at key instigators in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified.”
Wednesday’s events come during a wave of Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank that stand out even among the years of increased violence since late 2023. In recent weeks, assaults on Palestinians, as well as Jewish-Israeli peace activists and journalists, have increased. The violence against Palestinians has included killings, settlers rioting, the siege of Palestinian homes and land grabs.
In an interview on CNN, Israeli President Isaac Herzog claimed there is a “major effort” by authorities to curb the violence carried out by what he described as “juvenile delinquents”. Last month, Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel and a staunch defender of settlers, called some of the recent violence the work of “Israeli terrorists”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in the midst of a stuttering election campaign, is accused of allowing the violence to go unabated to placate his far-right base and coalition partners.
On Wednesday, he was filmed smiling and nodding as Jewish-Israeli religious students sang a song associated with the far-right movement, with the lyrics: “And we will take vengeance, one eye for the two eyes of Palestine, may its name be erased.”
