Scattered on a ridge overlooking a highway in the Israeli-occupied West Bank lay a torn black T-shirt, black socks, and a pair of white Nike Air sneakers, surrounded by olive and almond trees.
Nearby were bloodstained gray Nike sweatpants and a black hoodie riddled with bullet holes.
On April 6, near Turmus Aya—a village in the West Bank where many residents hold U.S. citizenship—Israeli soldiers fatally shot Amer Rabee, a 14-year-old Palestinian American born in New Jersey. His family reported receiving his naked, bullet-pierced body hours later inside a blue body bag.
Israeli military officials accused Amer and two companions of throwing stones at passing vehicles and endangering civilians. They labeled the boys as "terrorists," stating that soldiers had "neutralized" one and wounded the other two.
Contradicting this, Amer’s family and one surviving friend insist they were simply harvesting almonds at the time. Photographs shared by the family reveal that Amer was shot multiple times in his upper body.
Amer’s death has intensified criticism of the Israeli military’s use of force and allegations of impunity. The incident occurred amid a surge in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, where Israeli forces have escalated raids and tightened control in one of the most extensive crackdowns on militancy in recent decades. Extremist settler attacks against Palestinians have also risen.
The killing has also sparked debate over the U.S. government’s response to protecting its citizens abroad. Several U.S. senators have urged for an American-led investigation into Amer’s death, though official reactions have been cautious and limited.
A recent State Department spokesperson noted that Israeli forces believed they were preventing a terrorist act but emphasized the need for further clarity on the events. Requests for additional comment from American officials have gone unanswered.
Since October 7, 2023, following the Hamas-led offensive against Israel, over 900 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank—mostly by Israeli military actions and settler violence—while around 30 Israelis have died in attacks by Palestinians in the region, according to United Nations data.
Between 2018 and 2022, fewer than one-third of complaints filed against soldiers for harming Palestinians in the West Bank led to investigations, and only a small number resulted in legal proceedings, as reported by an Israeli human rights organization.
Gunfire on the Ridge
According to Ayoub Jabara, one of Amer’s friends, the three boys had gone to pick green almonds—a seasonal treat—in an orchard between Turmus Aya and Route 60, a busy road connecting Palestinian towns and Jewish settlements.
Ayoub, also a Palestinian American, denied any stone-throwing, explaining they were playfully tossing dried almonds at each other. He described reaching close to the main road and finding a tree with dried nuts. "Amer picked one up, joked it looked like a stone, and threw it at me. I threw it back," he said.
Amer was shot at least eleven times, his father Mohammed Rabee said. Photos taken by a family friend at the time they retrieved Amer’s body show multiple entry wounds, including one centered on his forehead and others on his neck and upper torso.
Hours after the shooting, the Israeli military released a brief, blurry video without a time stamp showing three indistinct figures gathering objects from the ground. One figure appears to throw something downward, though no object is clearly visible. The footage ends as the figures turn and run.
The military stated the video was recorded from a military post during a counterterrorism ambush operation.
Four days after the incident, reporters visited the ridge and found scattered clothing and blue surgical gloves near a blood-stained rock. The military explained that removing clothing is standard to check for traps. The family later identified the garments as Amer’s when the items were returned to them.
Mohammed Rabee said that even if the boys had thrown stones, soldiers could have fired warning shots or pursued and detained them instead of shooting. "He was only 14," Rabee said. "It takes no special skill to catch a child."
Instead, the soldiers fired multiple bullets, and the family believes the intent was to kill. The military has neither confirmed nor denied having a shoot-to-kill policy regarding stone throwers.
Ayoub sustained multiple gunshot wounds, according to medical records from Istishari Arab Hospital in Ramallah, where he spent three days in intensive care. A local clinic physician and Ayoub’s father stated he was shot at least three times in the groin area.
The family of the third boy involved, 15-year-old Abdulrahman Shihada, declined interview requests.
Dreams of an American Future
In Turmus Aya, Amer’s family was grappling with their loss, joined by siblings and cousins from the United States who had come to mourn.
Amer’s parents, Mohammed and Majed Rabee, had moved from the West Bank to New Jersey in 2001, returning to Turmus Aya in 2013 so their children could be educated in Arabic and embrace their Palestinian heritage.
His four older siblings had moved back to the U.S. after finishing high school. Amer had hoped to join them and had recently been texting about his plans to start a business marketing mini cotton candy machines.
Turmus Aya has a long history of migration to the United States, with many residents holding dual Palestinian-American citizenship. Families like the Rabees frequently travel between the two countries.
On the evening of his death, Amer left the house without saying goodbye, his mother said. "He didn’t think he wouldn’t come back."
At 6:41 p.m., Mohammed Rabee received a call informing him of a shooting. Rumors spread that Amer was involved. He repeatedly tried to reach his son’s phone but got no answer. At 6:58 p.m., he contacted the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem requesting urgent assistance but received no meaningful response. The embassy did not provide comment.
Around 9:30 p.m., a Palestinian official confirmed Amer had been killed. Rabee went to an Israeli military base where, just before midnight, his son’s body was handed over to a Palestinian ambulance.
"I said, ‘Praise be to God,’ and kissed him," Rabee recounted.
He expressed distrust in any official investigation and said Amer was buried the next day without an autopsy. "Only God can judge; I have left the case in His hands," Rabee said.
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