Israeli forces kill two children and their parents in the West Bank

The Bani Odeh family was returning home after buying clothes for Eid when special forces opened fire on the car they were in.

Ali and Waad Bani Odeh’s four children showed off the new clothes they had just bought for the upcoming Eid celebrations as their parents drove back from Nablus in the northern West Bank to their home in the town of Tammun, south of Tubas.

The children happily described the colors and styles of their clothes to their visually impaired brother, Othman. Ali looked back at his children and smiled at his wife, sharing a rare moment together as work often kept him away from his family.

It was a perfect Saturday night for the Palestinian family, which was violently interrupted when plainclothes Israeli special forces sprayed their car with bullets, killing the parents and two of their children.

Ali, 37, Waad, 35, and their sons, Mohammad and Othman, aged five and seven respectively, were shot in the head. Only Eight-year-old Mustafa and 12-year-old Khaled survived, although they suffered shrapnel injuries to the face and head.

Israeli forces, traveling in a civilian car, opened fire as soon as Ali’s vehicle reached the western part of Tammun.

The soldiers then approached the car, opened the doors and found the two children still alive. They forcibly removed them from the vehicle.

‘Why did you kill mine?’

Khaled told reporters that soldiers ordered them to lie on the ground in the cold and rain while they were interrogated. They were then forced to stand against a wall, hands up, and searched.

Mustafa, scared and in shock, asked to go to the bathroom, so a soldier took him to another location. On the way, Mustafa said, the soldier opened the car doors again and forced him to look at the bloodied bodies of his family before laughing.

“They kept us in their care and ordered us to stay still after searching us. They hit us, kicked us, called us names and laughed at us,” Khaled said.

“They asked where we had been, and I said we had gone to Nablus to buy clothes for Eid. They accused me of lying and beat me.”

“So I took courage and asked one of the soldiers, ‘Do you love your mother and father?’ He replied: ‘Of course’. I asked, ‘Then why did you kill mine?’ He punched me in the face.”

Body of a Palestinian child who was killed with his parents and siblings when Israeli forces opened fire on their car in Tammun, West Bank, on March 15, 2026 | Reuters

Soldiers prevented Palestinian ambulance crews from reaching the vehicle. After detaining the two children for more than half an hour, they allowed them to approach the ambulance on condition that they left the scene immediately after being rescued.

Nidal Bani Odeh, the city’s paramedic, said the team waited nearly half an hour before they could reach the boys, who had shrapnel wounds to their faces and heads and were covered in their brother’s blood.

Another half hour passed before the ambulance could reach the vehicle and remove the bodies.

“We found everyone dead. All the injuries were to the head and upper body, which suggests that the intention was to kill. The vehicle was riddled with dozens of bullets,” he said.

The team moved the bodies of the victims in front of the soldiers. The soldiers then towed the vehicle, claiming they were inspecting it, and prevented anyone from approaching it.

The Israeli military and police said in a joint statement that during an operation in Tammun, “a vehicle accelerated toward troops, who perceived an immediate threat to their safety and responded with fire.”

‘A barbaric crime’

On Sunday, a large crowd of grief-stricken Palestinians mourned over the family’s bodies, draped in Palestinian flags.

For Palestinians, the incident brought to light the death of six-year-old Hind Rajab in the Gaza Strip in June 2024, when Israeli forces shot his family’s car with bullets, killing all occupants.

Speaking to Middle East Eye, Ziad Bani Odeh, Ali’s uncle, mourned the family’s death, describing it as peaceful and full of life.

“I had dinner at their house a few days ago. I asked Waad when Ali would return from work in Israel, and she said he would return in two days. And indeed, he happily returned home to his family after 40 days away, not knowing that he would return only to be murdered in cold blood,” he said.

Ali, described as kind and cheerful, worked tirelessly to support his family despite difficult circumstances and a ban on Palestinian workers entering Israel. He was determined to get there at any cost.

After receiving his salary, Ali returned home, eager to take his children to buy their clothes for Eid.

“Waad was a devoted mother who raised her children and took special care of Othman, who had a disability. She was a calm and loving young woman, admired by everyone who knew her,” Ziad said.

The children shared a happy, playful and affectionate bond. They helped their mother take care of Othman, patiently explaining everything to him, as he couldn’t see.

“This is a barbaric crime. Killing an innocent family with more than a hundred bullets — what justification is there for that? Why are our lives worth so little?”

Kill without justification

Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed 44 Palestinians in Tubas, including children.

On January 8, 2025, an Israeli drone struck a young man and two of his nephews on suspicion of involvement in a terrorist attack. Months later, Israel admitted to having “miscalculated”.

Najeh Bani Odeh, a Tammun municipality member and paramedic, said that a few months earlier, a Palestinian family from the town had a narrow escape when Israeli special forces shot at their vehicle.

“Special forces are extremely dangerous for Palestinians. They act with license to kill without justification,” he said.

“They operate in civilian vehicles, so people don’t notice them and behave normally when they pass by. If the soldiers inside feel threatened, they open fire immediately.”

Ambulance crews are routinely prevented from reaching the injured by Israeli army fire, often resulting in deaths. The teams themselves also suffer aggression and intimidation.

“A few weeks ago, settlers attacked us while we were trying to help an injured person. They broke a paramedic’s glasses and vandalized our vehicle,” Najeh added.

Around 15,000 Palestinians live in Tammun, which is frequently the target of Israeli army raids under the pretext of searching for allegedly wanted individuals.

The victims are almost always children and defenseless civilians.

Originally published by Middle East Eye on 03/15/2026

Por Fayha Shalash