Palestinian footballer dies week after settler attack in West Bank

A 17-year-old Palestinian footballer has died from injuries sustained during an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, officials and relatives confirmed Saturday. Fadi Hamdallah al-Nassan, a player for Al-Mughayyir Club and a member of the Palestinian national youth team, was shot on July 11.

He was reportedly hit in the thigh during the settler assault. His leg was amputated, but he later died from his injuries, according to the Palestine Football Association. Mourners gathered to carry his body from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to his village for burial.

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He loved football. When the settlers attacked, he heard the screams of the girls and women. He went to the scene of the attack and was killed.

The Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces also fired rubber bullets at two other residents and hit a 10-year-old boy with a stun grenade during the incident. The Israeli military had not immediately responded to a request for comment.

Nassan's father recounted that his son heard screams and went to the scene of the attack, where he was shot. His mother described him as a beloved student and athlete. The United Nations has documented a significant rise in West Bank settler violence since the Gaza war began in October 2023, with thousands of Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers or settlers in the territory.

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He was a good student, good in sports, and loved playing football. Everyone loved him. May God accept him as a martyr.