17-year-old American-Palestinian fatally shot by Israel in the West Bank

Mark Moran
·2 min read
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UPI
Palestinians youth inspect the damage to homes caused by Israeli air strikes in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- An American-Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli forces in the West Bank, the U.S. State Department has confirmed.

Tawfiq Hafiz Ajjaq, 17, was fatally shot by Israeli forces this evening near the town of Al-Mazraa Al-Sharqiya, east of the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

Ajjaq, a native of Louisiana, moved to the West Bank almost a year and a half ago to complete his high school education and had plans to return to New Orleans to study business in college, according to family members.

His family said that Ajjaq was shot while he was driving back from the mountains near their village, according to News Nation Now. He was shot by the Israeli military and succumbed to his injuries shortly after being transported to a nearby hospital.

"I woke up from a phone call saying that my cousin was murdered. And I was just in disbelief," Maher Abdul Jabbar, Tawfiq's cousin, said. "The good always die(s) young. And that's a prime example of what happened to my cousin."

Israeli authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident and other family members are still working out the details surrounding the incident.

"The sadness is covering us from all over," Mohammad Salen, Tawfiq's great uncle, said upon learning of the death.

IDF forces reported that an off-duty police officer and a civilian fired at a person suspected of throwing rocks in the area. The IDF soldier present at the scene allegedly fired at the Palestinian victim. The claim is currently under review. The U.S. State Department is also investigating the incident.

National security spokesman John Kirby expressed concern and said the investigation would yield more details. "It's definitely deeply concerning, but I'm afraid I don't have more information than that right now," Kirby said.

A vigil was held in the New Orleans area Saturday, where he was a member of a local mosque.

369 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the day Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, kicking off the latest spasm of violence in Gaza. More than 25,000 people have died in Gaza in the fighting so far.