Palestinian teen footballer dies after settler attack in West Bank

A 17-year-old Palestinian footballer, Fadi Hamdallah al-Nassan, died on Saturday, a week after he was shot during an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to officials and relatives.

Dozens of mourners, dressed in black, carried al-Nassan's body from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to his village for burial. Al-Nassan was a player for Al-Mughayyir Club and a member of the Palestinian national youth team. The Palestine Football Association accused Israeli forces of shooting Nassan while settlers were attacking the village on July 11. The young player was reportedly shot in the thigh, underwent leg amputation, and later succumbed to his injuries.

"He loved football," his father, Hamdallah Al-Nassan, told AFP. "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 teenager's mother, Hanan al-Nassan, described her son as well-liked, a good student, and a talented athlete. "May God accept him as a martyr," she said.

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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 two other residents were hit by rubber bullets fired by Israeli forces during the incident, and a 10-year-old boy was struck on the head by a stun grenade. Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the United Nations has documented a significant rise in settler violence in the West Bank. An AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data indicates that Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,088 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023.

Earlier this week, Israel's security cabinet approved a budget of $434 million for establishing 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the Religious Zionism party, stated that these planned settlements would bring the total established under his tenure to 103. UN bodies, Palestinians, and most countries consider Israeli settlements illegal under international conventions and a major impediment to peace.

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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.