Palestinian Boy Killed by Mine Near Israeli Military Camp

A 13-year-old Palestinian boy, identified as Mohammed Abu Dalah, died on Tuesday after stepping on a landmine near an Israeli military camp in the northern Jordan Valley, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported. An Israeli defence ministry source confirmed the death.

The Red Crescent said its teams received the boy’s body following the explosion in one of the old military camps in Jiftlik.

A statement from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) confirmed the incident and identified the boy as Abu Dalah, from Jiftlik village. Earlier, Israel’s military had reported that three Palestinians were injured while handling unexploded ordnance, without specifying their ages.

The military noted that the incident occurred in Tirzah, a live-fire zone near Jiftlik and close to the Jordanian border, where civilian entry is strictly prohibited.

Jiftlik village council head Ahmad Ghawanmeh told AFP that three children, the oldest aged 16, were collecting herbs near the military base when they accidentally detonated the mine.

Both Jiftlik and the nearby Tirzah base are located in Area C of the West Bank, which is under full Israeli control.