Mother's Account of Son's Killing
Aliyah Abdel Majid al-Halaq, a 33-year-old mother from ar-Rihiya village near Hebron, lost her nine-year-old son Mohammad on 16 October 2025, when Israeli soldiers shot him while he was playing football. She describes how the occupation has robbed her of the certainty that her child would return home safely, turning every Palestinian mother into someone who lives in constant anticipation of loss.
Life Under Occupation
Before Mohammad's death, the family struggled with poverty. Her husband Bahjat worked far from home at a supermarket earning a few dozen shekels daily, returning only on weekends. Aliyah sold homemade sweets to support their five children. Despite hardships, Mohammad was joyful after receiving a new backpack from Unicef, and he asked to play football with friends at the nearby school playground. That was the last time she saw him alive.
The Shooting
While at the supermarket with her father and other children, Aliyah received a call about Mohammad. She saw a WhatsApp video of young men carrying her son, blood pouring from his body, his blue school uniform turned red. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers entered the village, fired teargas near the school playground, and when Mohammad stopped about 100 metres away with his arms folded, a soldier shot him in the pelvis. Even after he was wounded, soldiers continued firing, preventing rescue attempts.
Aftermath and Accountability
Mohammad died during surgery. Aliyah heard cries of Allahu Akbar and weeping. His body was brought home, looking peaceful. No soldier has been indicted for his killing. She now understands that a system protects those responsible and conceals reality. Since October 2023, Israel has killed over 21,500 Palestinian children in Gaza and 248 minors in the occupied West Bank. In 2025 alone, 54 Palestinian families in the West Bank lost children to Israeli forces.
Refusing to Be a Statistic
Aliyah writes to ensure Mohammad is remembered as a fourth-grader who loved football, catching birds to set them free, and dreamed of becoming a doctor. His backpack still hangs on the wall. She asks: how many more children must die before the world recognises that Palestinian children deserve to live like every other child? Her story was gathered as part of B'Tselem's report Unshielded Childhood.
