Israeli soldiers fatally shot four individuals, including two children, in a car in the northern West Bank, as reported by the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry. The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service stated that Ali and Waed Odeh, along with two of their four children, were fatally shot in the head. The remaining two children sustained shrapnel injuries, which were attended to by first responders after a delay in ambulance access, with Israel being accused of impeding the response.
Israeli military and police released a joint statement on Sunday, mentioning that the shooting occurred in Tammun as forces fired upon a vehicle that accelerated toward them. The incident took place during a pursuit of suspects linked to “terrorist activity,” and an investigation into the shooting is underway.
Najah al-Subhi, who lost her son and grandchildren in the tragic event, recounted that the family had gone shopping for Eid al-Fitr at a mall in Nablus. The surviving children suffered shrapnel wounds to the eye and head. Tammun’s mayor, Sameer Basharat, highlighted the continuous military presence in the town following Israel’s offensive in the region over a year ago.
Apart from the shooting, Basharat noted that residents have faced evictions, restricted access to farmland, and ongoing land seizures by Israel. Recent events, including frequent raids and road closures, have significantly impacted the town’s population, leading to profound sorrow over the Odeh family’s tragedy.
The human rights group B’tselem reported that the Odeh family’s car was extensively damaged by bullets, and the surviving wounded child was subjected to aggressive interrogation by Israeli forces. The lack of accountability mechanisms for such actions was emphasized by the group.
According to Israeli rights group Yesh Din, Israeli soldiers accused of harming Palestinians are seldom held accountable, with less than one percent of cases resulting in indictments based on over 2,400 complaints between 2016 and 2024. The Odeh family adds to the list of casualties in the occupied West Bank, where previous incidents of violence have resulted in multiple Palestinian deaths.
Following the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, movement restrictions have intensified across the West Bank, affecting daily life and emergency responses. Yesh Din’s documentation revealed numerous cases of settler violence across Palestinian communities in the region since the conflict began. The United Nations has recorded 18 Palestinian fatalities in the occupied West Bank since the start of 2026, including incidents involving Israeli settlers.