Palestinian-American teen killed in West Bank by Israeli forces: Palestinians

A 17-year-old Palestinian-American was fatally shot in the head by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Friday, Palestinian officials said.

The teen, identified as Tawfiq Ajjaq, was born and raised in Gretna, La., just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, relatives said.

His parents said they had brought him and his four siblings to live in the Palestinian town of al-Mazra’a ash-Sharqiya — where he was killed — last year to reconnect with their Palestinian heritage.

WAFA, the Palestinian National Authority’s official news agency, reported that the victim was shot in the head and died. His family confirmed his death to reporters.

Footage of the teenager’s funeral Saturday showed hundreds of Palestinian men join in carrying the teen’s body through the streets of the village.

Speaking to reporters, the boy’s father, Hassan Zeben, decried the Israeli war and expressed outrage over its continued impact on Palestinian civilians.

“Come here on the ground and see what is going on. Come here and test, see for your own eyes, what kind of life we are living here, what is the pressure they put us under,” CBS reported.

“How many fathers and mothers have to say goodbye to their children. How many more?” 

The State Department confirmed to CBS News that an American citizen had died but declined to provide additional comment, saying, “We are working to understand the circumstances of the incident and have asked the government of Israel for further information.”

The Post reached out to the State Department for additional details but did not hear back Sunday.

Asked about the shooting Friday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the White House was “seriously concerned” about reports of the teen’s death but conceded that the exact circumstances surrounding it were still unknown.

“The information is scant at this time; we don’t have perfect context about exactly what happened here,” Kirby told reporters, pledging US officials would be in “constant touch” with their regional counterparts to obtain additional information.

In a statement Friday, the Israeli Police Spokesperson’s Unit said, “An incident report was received concerning firearm discharge, ostensibly involving an off-duty law enforcement officer, a soldier, and a civilian,” CBS said.

The firearm discharge was “directed towards a perceived threat,” which the police statement described as Palestinians throwing rocks from the side of a highway.

The Israel Defense Forces told CBS that the “claim that the soldier fired at the Palestinian is under review.”

Israel has rejected calls by the US to scale back its relentless bombardment of Palestinian-held territory, which began Oct. 7 after Hamas launched a surprise missile attack against the country in which 1,200 Israelis, including many civilians, were killed.

Divisions have recently emerged among top Israeli officials over the direction of the war, which is now in its fourth month.

With Post wires