Rouhi Fattouh, head of the Palestinian National Council, said Thursday that the killing of two Palestinians in the village of al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank showed that "colonial terrorism" had become Israeli government policy. He made the statement a day after a teenager and child were shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid on the village northeast of Ramallah that included Israeli troops and settlers.
According to the Palestinian village council chief Amin Abu Alia, settlers and Israeli forces entered the center of al-Mughayyir near the main mosque on Wednesday. Settlers attacked two houses and stole sheep from a farmer, Abu Alia said.
Israeli Army snipers positioned on buildings in the village center opened fire on Palestinians who tried to confront the settlers during the theft, Abu Alia said. Omar Mohammad Naji al-Nassaan, 19, and Khalil Rasim Khalil Shehada, 16, were shot and later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The Palestinian Resistance Wall and Settlement Commission said 27 Palestinians have been killed in settler-related attacks since the start of 2026, with around 63 killed in such attacks since October 2023. According to Palestinian sources, the attacks include shooting, burning homes and vehicles, stealing livestock, assaulting farmers, and expanding settlements through land seizure and displacement.
The United Nations considers Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory illegal under international law and has said that continued settlement expansion undermines prospects for an independent Palestinian state under a two-state solution.
