West Bank mourners hold aloft baby daughters at funeral procession of father shot dead during Israeli settler attack

The grieving family of a man reportedly shot dead by Israeli settlers held his twin daughters aloft at his funeral procession on Thursday.

Odeh Awawdeh, 25, was killed in Deir Dibwan, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday evening.

His daughters are said to be two months old.

The region's health ministry said he was killed during a raid on the town by Israeli settlers, with witnesses saying he was shot in the back.

UN officials said it came amid a "growing pattern of unchecked violence by a settler movement that is militarised and shielded by the state".

They said the settlers "entered the village and clashed with residents, with an armed settler shooting and killing" Mr Awawdeh.

The UN officials added: "Israeli security forces raided the town and closed its entrances during the incident, detaining 30 Palestinian men who were later released.

"According to Israeli media reports, Israeli security forces also held several settlers for questioning."

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incident.

The Palestinian health ministry said at least 15 people had been killed by Israeli settlers so far this year.

Ajith Sunghay, from the UN's human rights office in the region, described the situation as one of "non-stop horror" for Palestinians in the West Bank.

He added: "The international community must insist on meaningful accountability for the perpetrators of all unlawful killings in the occupied Palestinian territory to stop the bloodshed."

Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials said Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 15-year-old boy in the West Bank city of Nablus on Thursday.

The Israeli military said a Palestinian threw stones towards its forces during an "operational activity" in the area, and it troops initiated "standard suspect apprehension procedures, which concluded with fire being directed at the suspect."

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In Gaza, four Palestinians were also killed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday, according to health officials.

One person was killed in southern Khan Younis, while several others were wounded.

Israel's military said it had targeted militants transporting munitions.

Three others, including a rescue worker, were killed in a separate strike in Maghazi, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Deir al Balah area in central Gaza, health officials said.

Israel's military had no immediate comment on the strike.

(c) Sky News 2026: West Bank mourners hold aloft baby daughters at funeral procession of fat