Inside the West Bank’s Worst Day in Months—And Why the World Is not Watching

At least four Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, have been killed in the latest wave of violence across the occupied West Bank, as Israeli forces and settlers intensify deadly operations that have left communities devastated and increasingly desperate.

The killings on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, come amid months of mounting bloodshed, displacement, and unchecked settler violence, deepening an already dire humanitarian and political crisis, according to online media reports.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that 15-year-old Rayan Tamer Houshieh died after being shot in the neck by Israeli forces. According to it, this was during a military raid on the town of al-Yamoun, west of Jenin.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said its medics treated Houshieh in a “very critical condition” before he succumbed to his wounds.

His death marks the second killing of a Palestinian teenager in as many days—13-year-old Ammar Hamayel was reportedly shot and killed by Israeli forces on Monday in the town of Kafr Malek.

On the same day as Houshieh’s killing, a violent settler rampage in Kafr Malek left three Palestinians dead and seven more injured.

According to local residents and media reports, dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the village northeast of Ramallah, setting fire to homes and vehicles.

Villagers from surrounding areas rushed to defend the town, only to be met with gunfire reportedly from Israeli soldiers who were seen providing cover for the settlers.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed that at least five Palestinians were wounded by live fire during the attack, some in critical condition.

The Palestinian Authority’s Vice President, Hussein al-Sheikh, condemned the violence, stating, “The settlers are acting under the protection of the Israeli army.”

He also appealed to the international community to “urgently intervene to protect our Palestinian people.”

Earlier the same day, a 66-year-old Palestinian woman, Zahriya Joudeh al-Obaid, was killed in the Shu’fat refugee camp north of occupied East Jerusalem.

Her husband, Joudah Al-Obeidi, said she had been standing on the roof of their home when Israeli forces launched a raid.

She was shot in the head, despite posing no threat, according to eyewitnesses and local media.

The escalation in settler and military violence has become part of a disturbing pattern across the West Bank.

Much of the world’s attention remains focused on Israel’s devastating war in Gaza, where tens of thousands have been killed or wounded since October 2023.

On the other hand, the situation in the West Bank has quietly but dramatically deteriorated.

Human rights groups say that Israeli forces and settlers have been acting with increasing impunity.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has raised alarm over the growing number of attacks in the West Bank.

It called on Israel to end its settlement expansion, halt forced displacement of Palestinians, and hold perpetrators of violence accountable.

“Israel must immediately and completely:

• cease all settlement activities and evacuate all settlers,
• stop the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population, and,
• prevent and punish attacks by its security forces and settlers,” said UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Turk.

Since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza last year, at least 40 Palestinians have been killed in Jenin alone, according to the Wafa news agency.

In the northern West Bank, repeated incursions by Israeli forces into cities like Jenin, Tulkarem, and refugee camps such as Nur Shams have left trails of destruction and mass displacement.

The United Nations estimates that more than 40,000 people have been displaced in the West Bank since October 2023, with countless homes destroyed in the process.

Meanwhile, about 500,000 Israeli settlers continue to live illegally in settlements across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, often with full military protection.

These settlements are considered illegal under international law, and their expansion has long been a core obstacle to any peace negotiations.

The deaths of children and civilians in the West Bank, and the lack of accountability that often follows, have reignited calls from rights organizations and international observers for concrete action to halt what many describe as a dangerous erosion of international norms.

Yet, as violence becomes routine and civilian life grows ever more precarious, those calls continue to go unanswered.

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