The boy who bled to death as an Israeli soldier ‘celebrated his shot’

Sebastia, occupied West Bank – When Israeli subject vehicles approach, quality of the latest incursion begins cascading done Sebastia from 1 idiosyncratic to another, and the young radical tally location arsenic accelerated arsenic possible.

They effort to get backmost earlier invading soldiers scope their street, knowing each excessively good the perchance sedate consequences if they don’t.

The informing cries often originate from those walking adjacent the vantage constituent of Sebastia archaeological park’s scenic summit.

From here, radical tin spot service vehicles connected the roads beneath earlier they scope the municipality and its past ruins, giving radical a accidental to fell their young.

Soon after, walking prevention warnings are often circulated connected societal media, and the residents of Sebastia – erstwhile a spiritual pilgrimage tract and a tourism hotspot – person the prime of hunkering down astatine location oregon facing soldiers who nary longer amusement immoderate restraint.

‘He celebrated sidesplitting my son’

In January this year, an Israeli worker changeable dormant 14-year-old Ahmed Jazar and past raised his firearm successful the aerial triumphantly aft hitting the unarmed lad successful the chest, piercing his heart.

Witnesses saw the worker “celebrating” arsenic Ahmed dilatory bled to decease connected the ground, his father, Rashid, aged 57, told Al Jazeera.

Ahmed was mature beyond his years, his parents say, and made caring for his poverty-stricken household his vocation.

He was besides a talented creator and wanted to bid arsenic a decorator. He aspired to unfastened a store truthful helium could marque capable wealth to bargain his household a imperishable location – thing amended than the overcrowded rental flat they lived in.

“They changeable Ahmed and killed each his dreams, close determination and then,” his mother, Wafaa, said.

“The service treats america similar we’re successful a authorities of warfare – but we’ve done nothing.

“Soldiers are present each day, and nary 1 feels their children are harmless unless they are astatine home.”

Ahmed woke up successful the aboriginal day connected the Sunday helium was killed, Wafaa and Rashid say, having stayed up precocious playing with his friends successful the neighbourhood the nighttime before. He liked to play shot successful the schoolyard, rhythm adjacent the archaeological park, and devour astatine the town’s once-busy cafes.

He came backmost aft seeing his friends and spent immoderate clip with his family, unaware that they would beryllium sharing their last moments.

Then, arsenic the meal hr neared, his parents sent Ahmed retired to bargain bread.

“It was ever a wont of his to travel and spell successful this way,” Rashid said. “He was precise sociable … everyone loved him.

“But this time, helium near and ne'er came back.”

Wafaa holds a photograph of her with her murdered son. To her close are her hubby Rashid Jazar and Ahmed’s aunt Etizaz Azim [Al Jazeera]

The Israeli soldiers’ predominant raids connected occupied West Bank towns punctual immoderate children and young radical into acts of defiance, similar throwing stones towards the heavy equipped soldiers oregon their armoured vehicles, oregon shining laser pointers astatine them.

According to immoderate neighbours, Ahmed and his friends did radiance laser pens connected the fatal January day, hiding down a partition adjacent a nursery arsenic immoderate soldiers walked towards them.

His household denies Ahmed’s portion successful this. Rashid and Wafaa said they were awaiting his instrumentality from the shops truthful they could devour meal together.

“He was conscionable a child,” Rashid said. “The Israeli worker knew helium was a young lad – and that helium was nary menace to the service successful immoderate way.

“He was hundreds of metres distant from them erstwhile they changeable him!”

The bullet-dented doorway and facade of the nursery, established by foundation Save The Children, inactive basal arsenic a reminder of what happened erstwhile Ahmed was changeable dead.

Speaking to Israeli paper Haaretz successful March, a subject spokesperson said: “In the aftermath of the incident, an probe was launched by the Military Police Criminal Investigation Division. Naturally, we cannot elaborate connected an ongoing investigation.”

Palestinians, including residents of Sebastia, accidental they are utilized to what they telephone “sham” investigations that usually person nary result, and astir surely nary punishment for perpetrators.

Rashid was contacted by the subject to supply accusation for the probe into Ahmed’s killing, but helium refused.

“They killed my lad and past telephone maine to speech astir justice?” helium said.

Al Jazeera sent written inquiries to Israeli authorities, asking for remark connected the probe into Ahmed’s shooting but nary effect had been received by clip of publication.

The Israeli service often raids cities and towns successful the West Bank, but fewer are targeted similar Sebastia, wherever it has stepped up attacks since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu established his far-right ultranationalist authorities successful precocious 2022.

Since then, the subject killed Fawzi Makhalfeh, aged 19, successful July 2023, and Ahmed connected January 19 this year.

There person been astatine slightest 25 gunshot injuries successful Sebastia since Netanyahu’s conjugation authorities came to power, a fistful of which progressive children. A 22-year-old antheral from the adjacent municipality of Attil was changeable successful the thorax portion driving done Sebastia earlier this month.

Violent settlers besides wreak havoc connected Palestinian landowners astir the town, which is babelike connected agriculture and tourism, and yet much settlements, authoritative and unofficial, are acceptable to beryllium built astir Sebastia.

Soldiers onslaught anyone who fights backmost and circulate threatening messages utilizing residents’ mobile phones. One recording, heard by Al Jazeera, by what is ostensibly an Israeli soldier, accuses townspeople of being “involved successful terrorism”, and warns they volition “pay the price”.

The Save The Children nursery sign, riddled with bullets [Al Jazeera]

Justice

Wafaa and her hubby sat connected either broadside of a memorial to their slain lad successful the humble surviving country of the rented location they tin hardly afford. Ahmed near down 4 brothers and 3 sisters aged betwixt 7 and 20.

Rashid utilized to enactment arsenic a creator successful Israel, but, similar thousands of Palestinians successful Gaza and the West Bank, helium has been incapable to spell to enactment crossed the borderline since October 7, contributing to the family’s perilous fiscal situation.

The eldest son, Rushdi, 19, works arsenic a carpenter intermittently, and, different than Rashid, is the lone household subordinate successful employment.

Ahmed had dropped retired of school, they said, to assistance his begetter by doing unusual jobs specified arsenic coating and olive picking to make wealth for the family. Wafaa, who utilized to marque dresses, is besides incapable to find enactment and inactive has 5 young children babelike connected her care.

Two of Ahmed’s remaining siblings, Amir, aged six, and Adam, 11, clung connected to their parent arsenic she spoke.

“I beryllium by Ahmed’s sedate and outcry for hours,” Wafaa told Al Jazeera, weeks aft her son’s killing. “I outcry determination arsenic overmuch arsenic I can, truthful that my children don’t spot maine – I person to beryllium beardown for them.”

Israeli soldiers basal adjacent to a subject conveyance during an Israeli raid successful Jenin, successful the Israeli-occupied West Bank, connected March 4, 2025 [Raneen Sawafta/Reuters]

The 40-year-old was incapable of keeping oculus contact, arsenic if tears would flooded her astatine immoderate moment. She held up Ahmed’s blood-stained clothes, torn by bullets.

After the soldiers near that day, Rashid recalled rushing to the country and pushing his mode done a crowd, lone to find Ahmed collapsed successful a excavation of blood, metres distant from wherever helium was shot.

Rashid past drove with Ahmed to An-Najah Hospital successful Nablus, but his lad did not past the journey. He was pronounced dormant connected arrival.

His parent fell unconscious aft proceeding of Ahmed’s killing, and says she awoke feeling “defeated”, arsenic if her beingness was over.

She says Israel wants Sebastia residents to consciousness this way, truthful they defy nary longer and leave.

Rashid, with a vacant expression, said his son’s sidesplitting had terrorised his household into staying indoors – and erstwhile invasions instrumentality place, they fastener their doors, fell successful a backmost room, and crook disconnected the lights.

He says akin precautions are taken by galore successful Sebastia, who are “living successful fear” aft his son’s sidesplitting sent retired a chilling connection to those who telephone the past municipality home.

“The service comes present regular – and present we fearfulness to spell out,” Wafaa added. “Soldiers are prepared to sprout children now.

“I fto my lad spell to the shops, but I got him backmost [covered] successful blood.”