From the Liveblog of
Friday, October 17, 2025
After 11-year-old boy said killed by troops near Hebron yesterday, IDF claims it opened fire in response to stone-throwing
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleNurit Yohanan is The Times of Israel's Palestinian and Arab world correspondent
The IDF acknowledges that it opened fire on “suspects” in the Hebron area yesterday, in response to a Times of Israel inquiry regarding reports of an 11-year-old boy being shot and killed by Israeli troops in the village of al-Rihiya, south of Hebron in the southern West Bank.
“Yesterday, during an operational activity in the area of al-Rihiya, in the Judea Brigade, disturbances and stone-throwing were directed at IDF forces,” the military says. “The forces responded with fire toward the stone-throwing suspects and hits were identified.”
The military does not directly acknowledge the reports that an 11-year-old boy was killed, saying only that “the incident is under investigation” and that no troops were hurt.
Reports yesterday identified the victim as Mohammad Bahjat Al-Hallaq.
According to the official Palestinian Authority news agency, Al-Hallaq had been playing soccer on a school playground with a group of friends when troops opened fire on them. He was struck in the pelvis and rushed to hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead.
The Times of Israel Community.