Footage shows Israeli forces standing by as Palestinian boy they shot bled out

Israeli security forces shot dead a 14-year-old boy in the Fara refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, and stood around as he bled out, CCTV footage revealed by the BBC shows. 

Jad Jadallah was shot at close range in November by soldiers during a military incursion into the camp, located south of Tubas.

According to the BBC, video footage and eyewitness testimony indicate that 14 soldiers stood around Jadallah for at least 45 minutes as he bled from his wounds. 

The army, which continues to withhold Jadallah's body, has also refused to provide media with comments on the autopsy results.

As the Palestinian teen lay bleeding on the ground, there appeared to be no attempt to provide life-saving aid.

Despite the Israeli army telling the BBC that "initial medical treatment" was provided for Jadallah, local news outlets noted that ambulance crews were initially blocked from reaching him.

Moreover, the army accused the teen of throwing a rock, an act that it says justifies the use of lethal force.

However, footage from the scene shows a soldier dropping an object next to Jadallah following his shooting. 

West Bank | The boy Jad Jihad Jadallah was killed by Israeli occupation forces during a raid on Al-Far’a camp south of Tubas, and the occupation is detaining his body. pic.twitter.com/DCC4fbbe4g

— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) November 16, 2025

The soldier could be seen taking a picture of the item, which his family and human rights group say is an attempt to frame the boy. 

The CCTV footage shows three boys standing in the alley during the incursion, checking to see if the troops were still in the camp.

The teens were just metres away from the soldiers. One of Jadallah's friends ran away when he spotted the army.

Jadallah meanwhile came face-to-face with a soldier, who appears to raise his rifle at him. The teenager then tries to run up the alley, likely while wounded, but the soldier appears to fire after him.

The footage is just one of several videos capturing Jadallah’s death. In one widely circulated clip, soldiers can be seen searching the teen’s body before detaining it.

In another, the boy could be seen alive and lying on the ground before he gets up and collapses once more. 

Body in Israeli custody 

The exact details surrounding his death, including how many shots were fired, remains unknown, as his body is still in Israeli custody.

Under Israeli law, the retention of Palestinian bodies is permitted and has been widely implemented across the occupied Palestinian territory.

Although this practice was previously considered illegal, a 2018 amendment to the Israeli Counterterrorism Law – later upheld by the Israeli Supreme Court – authorised the state to withhold the bodies of Palestinians deemed to have committed acts of violence.

Israeli forces claimed that Jadallah threw a rock, and later labelled him a “terrorist” without providing any evidence. 

Since then, his body has been kept in their custody, depriving his family from holding a proper burial for him. 

Israeli authorities are withholding the bodies of at least 766 identified Palestinians, nearly half of whom have been held since the start of the genocidal war on Gaza, despite Hamas having returned the bodies of all Israeli captives.

Jadallah's is also one of 55 children who were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied territory last year, among a total of 227 killed since October 2023.