Palestinian Teenager Shot by Israeli Forces and Left to Bleed to Death
A 14-year-old Palestinian teenager named Jad Jadallah was shot at close range by Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers near a refugee camp in the West Bank in November 2025. Jad was left lying helpless as soldiers formed a barricade around him, preventing two Palestinian ambulances from reaching him for rescue.
According to video recordings and eyewitness accounts, approximately 14 soldiers stood around Jad as he continued bleeding from his gunshot wound. They remained at the scene for at least 45 minutes without making any attempt to provide medical assistance, despite all Israeli soldiers receiving trauma training and each combat unit having specially trained medical personnel.
The IDF claimed to BBC that soldiers had provided “first aid”, but refused to provide details about the nature or timing of such care. Instead, the IDF alleged that Jad had thrown stones, which it cited as justifying the use of lethal force under its rules of engagement. However, video evidence shows soldiers placing an object next to Jad after the shooting and photographing it—a move Jad’s family and human rights groups viewed as an attempt to frame him. Jad’s body was placed in the back of an Israeli military vehicle and has not been returned to his family. The Israeli military has refused to answer questions about which parts of Jad’s body were shot or how many times he was shot.
Jad was born and raised in al-Far’a, a refugee camp in the West Bank housing approximately 10,000 Palestinians. Like similar camps in occupied territories, it is frequently targeted by Israeli military operations, which Israel justifies as necessary to counter armed groups operating there.
Video evidence verified by BBC shows the moment of shooting captured by CCTV at the camp. Three boys were standing at a corner of an alley when, unaware of their presence, four Israeli soldiers waiting behind them suddenly opened fire. Jad’s friends saw the soldiers first and ran away down the alley, but Jad either failed to see them or saw them too late. The CCTV footage shows the leading soldier raising his weapon less than three metres from Jad and firing. The soldier then turned and aimed at Jad as he ran away, with dust visible in the footage indicating continued shooting as Jad fled.
Eyewitness video footage, secretly recorded by a camp resident, captured Jad’s final moments from a different angle. It shows the teenager repeatedly attempting to attract the soldiers’ attention by waving his hand and throwing his cap towards them. The soldiers appeared to ignore his efforts, kicking his cap back.
After learning of the shooting, Jad’s mother attempted to reach her son on foot but was stopped by Israeli soldiers. Another resident called emergency services, and ambulances were dispatched, arriving at the scene eight minutes later according to records provided by the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Lead paramedic Hassan Fouqha reported that his team was stopped by Israeli soldiers with weapons drawn and prevented from reaching Jad, who was only approximately 100 metres away and visible to them. Fouqha and his ambulance team were forced to watch helplessly as Jad lay bleeding from his wounds. The medical personnel said they watched for at least 35 minutes without being able to help.
Jad’s death adds to a lengthy list of children and teenagers killed by Israeli military violence. According to the United Nations, 55 children died as a result of Israeli military attacks in the West Bank last year, and 227 children have died since the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.