Israeli forces have shot and killed a Palestinian couple and two of their young children during an incident in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities.
The family identified as Ali and Waad Bani Odeh and two of their children were travelling in a car in the town of Tammum in the northern West Bank when Israeli forces opened fire.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the victims included five-year-old Mohammed and seven-year-old Othman. Medical officials said the four family members arrived at hospital with gunshot wounds to the head and face.
Two other children, aged eight and 11, who were also in the vehicle at the time, survived the incident but sustained minor injuries from shrapnel.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces said a joint operation involving the army and Israel Border Police was underway in the town when the shooting occurred.
Israeli authorities claimed the vehicle accelerated toward security forces, prompting soldiers to open fire after they felt threatened.
“As a result, four Palestinians in the vehicle were killed,” the statement said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its emergency crews were initially prevented by Israeli forces from reaching the wounded and were ordered to leave the area.
The United Nations says much of the occupied West Bank has been under heightened movement restrictions since the outbreak of fighting involving the United States, Israel, and Iran earlier this year.
Violence in the territory has also surged since the October 7 Hamas attacks, which triggered the war in Gaza.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, at least 1,064 Palestinians including 231 children have been killed in the West Bank between October 2023 and March 2026.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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