West Bank child killed as Israel approves 31-site firing-range plan

Israeli troops shot dead a 14-year-old Palestinian in Burqa near Nablus on 9 November, the Palestinian health ministry said, as the army acknowledged opening fire in the area.

The ministry identified the boy as Moataz Iyad Daghlas and said Israeli authorities were holding his body. Two other teenagers were wounded, according to Palestinian reports.

The Israeli military said soldiers had spotted several people it said were preparing to throw stones at a highway used by Israeli motorists. It said troops fired “to remove the danger”, according to The Times of Israel.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its crews treated two people with gunshot wounds but were prevented from reaching a third injured person. It also said Israeli forces detained three volunteer paramedics in Burqa. Anadolu Agency reported three other people wounded, while Al Jazeera reported two.

The shooting came as the Palestinian Commission Against the Wall and Settlements said Israeli authorities had approved a planning scheme for firing ranges at 31 settlement sites across the occupied West Bank.

Plan 200/5 covers 29 settlements, outposts and settlement neighbourhoods, as well as two industrial zones, in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Jerusalem, Nablus and Jericho governorates, the commission said in a statement carried by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA on 10 November.

The commission said the plan would allow firing ranges to be included among permitted land uses and provide for live-fire weapons training and instruction for people seeking to carry firearms. It extends from south of Nablus towards Jerusalem and east to the Jericho area.

Approval of the planning framework does not mean that all 31 ranges can immediately be built or opened. The commission said each facility would still require the relevant permits. It added that an Israeli government list from 2022 recorded nine licensed ranges in West Bank settlements, including Ariel, Karnei Shomron, Ma’on and Alon Shvut.

The commission also reported that settlers killed 31 Palestinians since the start of 2026. It recorded 1,369 settler attacks in October, up 111.6 per cent from 647 in September. Ramallah and Al-Bireh accounted for 393 attacks, followed by Nablus with 353, it said.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded 64 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage during the week from 27 October to 2 November. It said 58 Palestinians were injured during that period, including 43 by settlers and 15 by Israeli forces.

In Jerusalem on 10 November, dozens of Israeli settlers entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound through the Mughrabi Gate and performed religious rituals near the Dome of the Rock, WAFA reported, citing local sources.

Israeli forces also raided homes in Al-Bireh and Burqa and detained four Palestinians, including a young woman, in the village of Al-Mughayyir northeast of Ramallah, WAFA reported. The agency said troops searched homes and questioned residents in Burqa.