Mourners carry the physique of 14-year-old Palestinian Amir Rabee, a U.S. citizen, throughout his funeral within the village of Turmus Ayya, within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, on Monday.
John Wessels/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
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John Wessels/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
TEL AVIV, Israel — The weekend killing of a Palestinian American teenager by Israeli forces within the occupied West Financial institution has sparked an outcry from family members and neighborhood members within the Palestinian territory in addition to the USA.
The household of 14-year-old Amir Rabee stated he was choosing olives with two mates, additionally U.S. residents, on Sunday when Israeli forces fired at them.
The Israeli navy stated it opened hearth towards three individuals who had been endangering drivers by hurling rocks at a freeway within the village of Turmus Ayya, killing one particular person and injuring the opposite two.
The U.S. State Division confirmed the loss of life of a U.S citizen within the West Financial institution, providing its condolences to the household.
It acknowledged the Israeli navy’s assertion that the killing was a part of a counterterrorism operation and that the navy was investigating.
Mourners attend the funeral of 14-year-old Palestinian American Amir Rabee within the village of Turmus Ayya, within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, on Monday.
John Wessels/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
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John Wessels/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
Born and raised in New Jersey
Rabee was born and raised in New Jersey till his household moved to their ancestral Palestinian city within the West Financial institution, Turmus Ayya. It is a city close to Jerusalem the place many Palestinian U.S. residents reside.
The boy’s father, Mohammed Rabee, stated he referred to as the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to ask for medical assist when he realized of the capturing, nevertheless it did not arrive in time, and he needed to go to an Israeli navy base within the metropolis of Nablus to establish and choose up his son’s physique.
When requested for touch upon the incident, the U.S. Embassy referred NPR to the assertion from the State Division.
“He was all naked, all blood everywhere,” Mohammed Rabee stated.
He stated he desires solutions from the Israeli authorities.
“They call him [Amir] a terrorist,” he stated. “ Even if he did something wrong, he’s under age.” He stated, how may the troopers shoot him down with a number of bullets?
The Israeli navy launched a black-and-white video displaying what it stated was Amir Rabee throwing rocks, however the elder Rabee stated it was unattainable to say if it was his son or not.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D.-N.J., stated Amir’s loss of life was an “atrocity” and fellow Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy demanded “answers from the Israeli government.”
“The tragic loss of life underscores that the current course of conflict is continuing to take too great of a toll on too many people,” Murphy stated in a press release.
The newest American killed within the West Financial institution
The State Division stated it was conscious of the loss of life of 5 U.S. residents within the West Financial institution for the reason that Hamas-led assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The final was a 26-year-old American Turkish girl who was shot by Israeli forces in September 2024 at a protest she attended within the West Financial institution.
Final yr, 4 different U.S. residents had been killed within the West Financial institution and the Gaza Strip by Israelis. All 4 households of these slain Individuals informed NPR they’d heard nothing from the Justice Division; they stated there was no indication U.S. authorities had been investigating the deaths of their family members.
The top of Turmus Ayya municipality’s division of international relations, Yasir Alkam, stated it was time for President Trump’s administration to take motion.
“Put some pressure on the Netanyahu administration to at least protect its citizens residing in Palestine,” he informed NPR.
An increase in violence towards Palestinians within the West Financial institution
The United Nations has documented a rise in violence towards Palestinians within the West Financial institution by Israeli settlers and troopers for the reason that Hamas-led assaults on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. It stated 99 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli forces in 2025, as of the U.N. humanitarian affairs workplace’s final report in late March.
Israel launched its newest navy operation within the West Financial institution final month, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas ended. Israel stated it’s rooting out militants who it stated function out of the refugee camps. Latest Israeli safety operations within the West Financial institution have displaced tens of hundreds of Palestinians, in line with the U.N.
Nuha Musleh contributed reporting from Ramallah, West Financial institution. Michele Kelemen contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
