Palestinian youth footballer dies after West Bank shooting, officials and relatives say

A 17-year-old Palestinian footballer died on Saturday, a week after he was shot during an attack by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, according to officials and relatives.

Fadi Hamdallah al-Nassan played for Al-Mughayyir Club and was a member of the Palestinian national youth team. Dozens of mourners dressed in black carried his body from the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah to his village for burial.

The Palestine Football Association accused Israeli forces of shooting Nassan while settlers were attacking the village on July 11. The association said he was reportedly shot in the thigh, had his leg amputated, and later died from his injuries.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

Nassan's father, Hamdallah Al-Nassan, said his son loved football and went toward the scene after hearing women and girls screaming during the attack. His mother, Hanan al-Nassan, said he was a good student, was good at sport, and was well-liked in the village.

The Palestinian official news agency Wafa also reported that Nassan had been wounded and had a leg amputated. It said two other residents were hit by rubber bullets fired by Israeli forces, and that a 10-year-old boy was hit on the head by a stun grenade.

Since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, the United Nations has reported a sharp increase in violence attributed to Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,088 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 2023, including militants and civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry data. Official Israeli figures show that at least 46 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.