Israelis shoot dead two Palestinian teenagers after settlers encircle village

Key Points:

• Two Palestinian teenagers, Khalil Abu Alia (16) and Omar al-Nassan (19), were shot dead by Israeli forces during a settler-led raid in the village of al-Mughayyir, where settlers attempted to seize sheep under military escort.
• The village of al-Mughayyir has been under tightening siege since late 2023, with Israeli barricades restricting access and multiple settler outposts surrounding it, forcing at least eight families to flee due to inability to commute.
• Israeli forces demolished the homes of 12 Palestinian families in Khirbet al-Taban near Hebron, rendering all 70 residents homeless; this marks the 66th Palestinian community destroyed since October 2023 amid ongoing Israeli efforts to displace Palestinians in the West Bank.
• Human rights group B’Tselem condemned the demolitions as part of accelerating ethnic cleansing, highlighting that nearly 5,000 Palestinians, almost half children, have been forced from their homes in recent months.
• Israeli military authorities justified the demolitions as enforcement against illegal construction in a declared military firing zone, a designation used since 1981 to push out Palestinian residents despite ongoing legal challenges.