On March 16, Israeli snipers shot two 16-year-old Palestinians, Fathi Ali Fathi Sahouri and Salim Sami Salim Faqha, both from the nearby town of Sinjil, near the entrance to Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. It was not immediately clear whether the teenagers survived the shooting. Witnesses said soldiers closed the road within minutes, surrounding the scene and preventing anyone from approaching. The army claimed that the soldiers opened fire at Palestinians who hurled stones at the military vehicles. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said Israeli forces prevented its medical crews from reaching the wounded near the Sinjil junction, while local sources said the army withheld the injured and declared the area a closed military zone. Residents described watching paramedics being turned back while the injured were left on the ground under armed guard.

Several residents who tried to move toward the area were threatened by soldiers and ordered to remain inside nearby homes and shops. Soldiers stopped vehicles, interrogated residents, and restricted movement across the town. Drones were seen circling overhead as troops moved between residential blocks, creating a tense atmosphere that lasted late into the night.

Following the shooting, a large Israeli military force invaded Sinjil, spreading through multiple neighborhoods and conducting searches in homes and commercial properties.

The General Authority of Civil Affairs confirmed Israeli forces shot and killed 17‑year‑old Salim Sami Salim Fuqaha and moderately wounded another Palestinian who remains in moderate condition. The Israeli authorities immediately seized his body, denying his family the ability to recover it.

The military’s refusal to allow medical intervention lasted for an extended period, a pattern that has become increasingly common in similar incidents across the central West Bank. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that the combination of lethal force and the systematic obstruction of medical teams inflict heightened risk on the Palestinians.

As of Monday night, Israel continued to withhold the teenager’s body, part of a long‑standing Israeli policy of retaining the remains of Palestinians killed by its forces. Rights groups have condemned the practice as a form of collective punishment that inflicts additional suffering on families already grieving their loss.

Name of the martyr:

Salim Sami Salmi Fuqaha, 16 y/o

Defense for Children Palestine investigation:

"Salim Sami Salmi Fuqaha, 16, was shot and killed by Israeli forces around 10 p.m. on March 16 near the village of Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah in the central occupied West Bank, according to documentation collected by Defense for Children International - Palestine. Israeli forces opened fire on Salim and 15-year-old Fathi Ali Fathi Al-Sahouri, who survived the attack, then prevented Palestinian Red Crescent Society paramedics from reaching the boys for two and a half hours. (2,5 hours)

Israeli forces confiscated Salim’s body, and therefore DCIP cannot confirm the number or nature of his injuries.

Paramedics brought Fathi to Istishari Hospital in Ramallah, where he is currently receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the shoulder.

The shooting took place in an area near the barrier established by Israeli forces about a year and a half ago on land belonging to the village of Sinjil, isolating it from Route 60, which has led to escalating tensions in the area. This area frequently witnesses live fire by Israeli forces toward anyone suspected of being present nearby, without distinction, making it a dangerous zone that constantly threatens civilians’ lives.

Broader context:

Israeli forces have killed seven Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2026, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Israeli forces and settlers killed 56 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in 2025.

Israeli forces have withheld the bodies of at least 64 Palestinian children since June 2016, according to documentation collected by DCIP. Six of the children’s bodies have since been released to their families, while 58 Palestinian children’s bodies remain withheld by Israeli authorities. Israel’s practice of withholding Palestinian bodies is a form of collective punishment, a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, and deprives Palestinian families of the ability to lay their children to rest.