In the occupied West Bank, violence and dispossession become routine

A settler in front of a Palestinian home throws a stone in Qusra, occupied West Bank, November 10, 2026. LAURENCE GEAI /MYOP FOR LE MONDE During the night of Monday, November 9, to Tuesday, November 10, Israeli soldiers killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy in the small village of Burqa, near Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. His death adds to the list of around 240 minors and more than 900 adults killed in the West Bank by the military or settlers since the terrorist attack launched on October 7, 2023, by Hamas on the outskirts of Gaza (not in the West Bank), according to United Nations figures and the Israeli non-profit organization B'Tselem.

His death reflects the rules of engagement for soldiers on the ground. According to the Israeli military's own account, soldiers opened fire with military-grade weapons at young men on the grounds that they allegedly intended to throw stones at a nearby road used by Israeli settlers' vehicles. Since October 7, the act of throwing a stone has been considered by the military as a sufficient threat to shoot and kill the perpetrator, regardless of age.

In Burqa, the presumed intention alone is enough for soldiers to use their weapons. "The [Israeli military] only recently made it standard practice to use live fire against stone throwers. It's already 'upgraded' to shooting people who 'intended to throw stone,'" said Breaking the Silence, an Israeli veterans' organization that has been collecting and verifying soldiers' testimonies for more than 20 years. The rules had previously been stricter.

"When we served, we were taught to establish 'means, intent and capability' before opening fire," the group added, referring to the rules that were in place before October 7. You have 71.32% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.