Saeed Odeh
© DcipSaeed Odeh, 16, was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the town of Odala in Nablus, in the Northern occupied West Bank on Wednesday, May 5th, 2021.
Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager on Wednesday night in the Nablus district in the northern occupied West Bank, making him the second child to be killed by Israeli forces in 2021.

The teen, identified as Saeed Odeh, 16, a resident of the village of Odala, was shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition around 9:00 p.m., according to Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP).


Odeh reportedly sustained two gunshot wounds, one in the back near his right shoulder and one in the pelvis.

According to DCIP, Palestinian medics were prevented by Israeli soldiers from reaching his body for at least 15 minutes. When they reached his body, he had no vital signs. He was evacuated by Palestinian Red Crescent medics to a hospital in Nablus city, where he was pronounced dead.

Another young man from the village was also injured with live ammunition during the incident, and was reportedly shot in the back. He was reported to be in stable condition.

An Israeli army spokesperson told AFP that there were clashes between soldiers and Palestinians at the entrance of the town, and alleged that Molotov cocktails had been thrown at the soldiers.

The army said that the soldiers "acted to stop the suspects by opening fire on them."

DCIP reported that according to information they collected, Odeh was not participating in any confrontations when he was shot.
"Israeli forces routinely unlawfully kill Palestinian children with impunity, using intentional lethal force against Palestinian children when they pose no threat," said Ayed Abu Eqtaish, Accountability Program Director at DCIP. "Systemic impunity has fostered a context where Israeli forces know no bounds."
The office of the Palestinian president condemned the killing as an "extrajudicial execution," saying "the Israeli occupation government still insists on proceeding with the same policy of extrajudicial killings of Palestinians and imposing the most severe collective punishments on the Palestinian people and its property in violation of international humanitarian laws."

Locals from Odala and the surrounding villages told Reuters that Israeli forces had been stationed at the entrance to the town for days, causing confrontations between the soldiers and local youth.

According to Palestinian media, Israeli forces had been blockading Odala and the neighboring town of Beita for three days as part of a manhunt for a Palestinian shooter who opened fire on three Israelis at a military checkpoint in the West Bank earlier this week.

The manhunt resulted in widespread search and arrest campaigns in the northern West Bank, and sparked a number of confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces, as well as an uptick in settler violence against Palestinians and their property.

The killing of Odeh sparked an outpouring of grief and frustration on social media, as Palestinians condemned the killing of the teen, who was according to family and friends, an avid soccer player with dreams of one day making the Palestinian national team.


In 2020, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, six of whom were killed with live ammunition, according to DCIP.

DCIP highlighted that Israeli forces are "rarely held accountable for grave violations against Palestinian children, including unlawful killings and excessive use of force," and that under international law, "intentional lethal force is only justified in circumstances where a direct threat to life or of serious injury is present."
"However, investigations and evidence collected by DCIP regularly suggest that Israeli forces use lethal force against Palestinian children in circumstances that may amount to extrajudicial or wilful killings," the group said.