The most recognized Palestinian poet in recent decades, , stated of his people: “We suffer from an incurable disease: hope.” But stories like that of the Bani Odeh seem to suddenly exhaust those reserves, so devastating and paralyzing. We are talking about a family that has just been murdered by Israeli soldiers. Father, mother and two children, one of them with special needs. Unarmed, innocent. They are survived by two more children, who were injured and knocked out when they saw their family disappearing at their side.
The events occurred in the early hours of Sunday in the largest of the occupied Palestinian territories. Ali Khaled Bani Odeh, 37 years old; His wife Waad, 35, and two of his children – Mohammad and Othman, aged five and seven respectively – were shot in the head in the village of Tammun, when they returned from a family dinner after breaking the fast of Ramadan, the Muslim holiday that ends this week.
Two more children, Mustafa and Khaled, survived. Speaking to the news agency from the hospital, the last of them, 12 years old, explained that he heard his mother crying and his father praying, but no voices from his other siblings, before silence prevailed after the gunshots that riddled the car. They were all returning home from the city of Nablus, after a festive night, at times when there is less movement on the West Bank roads.
“Suddenly, we heard gunshots coming straight at us. We didn’t know where they were coming from,” Khaled later told the . “My father was reciting the shahada [la declaración de fe islámica que los musulmanes pronuncian al enfrentarse a la muerte] and raised his finger. My mother screamed and then went silent.” Images after the shooting show bullets scattered across the road and what appear to be blood stains. “There’s no one left but my brother Mustafa and me,” the boy says.
In the images, he is seen accelerated, like a victim of post-traumatic stress, while his brother, at his side, is completely absent, another way of breaking down the pain. He was then seen hugging the bodies of his parents and siblings. He is eight years old.
Image of the children of the Bani Odeh family, two of whom were killed in the attack by Israeli soldiers.
The versions
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have reported that “the relevant authorities are investigating the circumstances of the incident.” Their forces, they say, were part of an operation in Tammun to arrest Palestinians wanted for their involvement in “terrorist” activities against them.
They maintain, meanwhile, that “a vehicle accelerated towards the security forces. They felt threatened and responded by opening fire,” the Army stated in a statement.
“As a result, four Palestinians who were in the vehicle lost their lives,” they added. Security camera images of the incident that could help determine the actual movements of the vehicle have not yet been released, and the Israel Defense Forces have not provided any video.
A footage that has emerged shows the family car, with its windshield smashed, being towed by an Israeli military vehicle. Palestinian paramedics also claim that they were prevented from entering the site to provide medical assistance, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported, a practice that . An hour later, health personnel from a local hospital received the four deceased family members, media outlets such as .
The Qatari television network claims that Israeli soldiers took the injured children, those who survived the shooting, out of the car and beat them. “The extended family says that the father and mother did not know that Israeli forces were there, as they were in a Palestinian car.” They were just “trying to have a normal day.” With the normality of the occupation, it is understandable.
“Soldiers violently interrogated Khaled at the scene. Initially, the (Israeli) Army prevented ambulances from reaching the area, and only after a while were medical teams allowed access. The army confiscated the family’s vehicle, which was riddled with bullets,” the Israeli NGO added in a statement.
The four bodies were buried yesterday afternoon in Tamún, in the middle of a massive tribute by their loved ones and neighbors.
An elderly woman hugs Khaled, one of the surviving children of the Bani Odeh family, on March 15, 2026, during the burial of his brothers and parents.
Generalized aggression
In a statement published in
The UN says that much of the occupied West Bank has remained under strict movement restrictions since the outbreak of the war between the United States, Israel and Iran on February 28. According to Palestinian authorities and the UN, violent attacks have also continued.
More broadly, violence in the area has increased dramatically since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza. Between October 7, 2023 and March 8, 2026, it reported that 1,064 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank, including at least 231 children.
