Israeli settlers shot a 14-year-old boy outside a school in the West Bank, but the detail about who fired next made it worse

Two Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school in the village of al-Mughayyir. One of the victims was 14-year-old Aws al-Naasan, a ninth-grade student who was shot outside the school. The head of the local council told reporters that settlers entered the village and fired at students first, then at residents who came to help.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed that al-Naasan and 32-year-old Jihad Abu Naim were killed in the attack, with three others wounded. Abu Naim was a parent who lived nearby and rushed to the scene after hearing the gunfire. The incident was first reported by The Guardian.

Footage from the scene shows a settler in military fatigues advancing toward the village, crouching, and firing at least eight rounds toward the school. Videos filmed outside the school show blood on the street, with men and boys running and calling for help while injured individuals were carried away. One video obtained by CNN captures the moment al-Naasan was shot, with his friends rushing to carry his body from the scene.

The shooter was a military reservist, and he’s now been suspended pending investigation

The Israel Defense Forces stated that troops were deployed after reports of stones being thrown at a vehicle carrying civilians and a reservist. The military said the reservist exited the vehicle and opened fire at what it described as suspects, with soldiers later arriving to break up what it called a violent clash. A military source confirmed that the reservist has been suspended from duty pending a criminal investigation by military police and that his weapon has been confiscated.

The shooting took place about 15.5 miles north-east of Ramallah and is part of a broader pattern of disruption to education in the West Bank. Separately, activists reported that settlers used a bulldozer to demolish a school in Hammamat al-Maleh, near Tayasir in the northern Jordan Valley. Settlers from the Karmiel settlement also placed razor wire near Umm al-Khair in the South Hebron Hills, blocking the route children use to reach school. Amid broader debates over military accountability and federal investigations, the suspension of the reservist drew attention to how armed individuals operating outside formal military command are handled.

Witness Kathem al-Haj Ahmed, 57, described the situation in al-Mughayyir as one of near-daily settler attacks. “This is our reality in al-Mughayyer village; they aim to displace us, and both the army and the settlers are exchanging roles among them,” he said.

As documented by OCHA, between December 9 and 22, 2025, humanitarian records logged 46 Israeli settler attacks resulting in casualties or property damage. Throughout 2025, more than 1,770 such attacks were documented across over 270 communities. Settler expansion in the West Bank has accelerated under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, with approximately 700,000 settlers now living among 2.7 million Palestinians.

Data from the Palestinian health ministry indicates that 1,152 Palestinians, including 239 children, have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, with more than 11,800 injured. Analysis of legal data and public records shows that Israel has not prosecuted any Israeli citizen for killing a Palestinian civilian in the occupied West Bank since the start of this decade. In Umm al-Khair, children who returned to school after more than 40 days of closures found their path fenced off, and when they attempted to pass, soldiers fired teargas and stun grenades, leaving many too frightened to return.

Settler violence and access restrictions have driven displacement across 85 Palestinian communities, 33 of which have been fully emptied, according to OCHA. Amid this, one surveillance firm’s push for expanded national service has drawn fresh scrutiny over the line between civilian and military conduct in conflict zones.

The reservist implicated in the al-Mughayyir shooting remains suspended, with a criminal investigation by military police ongoing and his weapon confiscated.