By Joshua Jideoffor
‘They Killed My Whole Family’: Survivor, 11, Tells How Israeli Troops Shot Parents and Two Brothers During Ramadan Drive
NABLUS, West Bank – An 11-year-old Palestinian boy who survived a military shooting that killed his parents and two younger brothers has described the terrifying final moments of his family’s life, as they drove home after breaking their daily Ramadan fast.
Khaled Bani Odeh is now recovering in a West Bank hospital, injured but alive. His parents, Ali and Wa’ed Bani Odeh, are dead. His two youngest brothers, Mohammed, 5, and Othman, 7, are also gone.
Only Khaled and his other brother, Mustafa, survived the hail of Israeli military gunfire that tore through their family’s car late Saturday night.
“Suddenly there were direct gunshots towards us. We didn’t know where from,” Khaled told a Palestinian journalist from his hospital bed, in an interview shared with CNN. My father was saying the shahada (the Islamic declaration of faith) and raised his finger. My mother was screaming and then went silent.
The family, from the village of Beit Furik near Nablus, had been out for a late-night drive a common practice during Ramadan, when families often spend evenings together after breaking their fast. They were heading home when Israeli soldiers opened fire.
Khaled described the chaos and horror that followed. Trapped in the vehicle with the bodies of his loved ones, he tried desperately to help his youngest brother.
I tried to turn over my brother Mohammed, but I was unable,” he said, his voice heavy with the weight of what he had witnessed. “There is no one left other than me and my brother Mustafa.
Military Says Soldiers Felt Threatened
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that its soldiers opened fire on the vehicle, killing four Palestinians inside. In a statement to CNN, the military said the incident is under investigation.
A vehicle accelerated toward the forces. The forces felt threatened and responded by opening fire, the IDF said. As a result, four Palestinians who were in the vehicle were killed.
The military has not provided any video evidence to support its claim that the car posed a threat. No CCTV footage of the incident has emerged publicly, leaving the precise circumstances of what happened on that dark road unclear.
What is clear is the aftermath. Video obtained by CNN shows the family’s car, its windshield completely shattered, being towed away from the scene by an Israeli military vehicle. Bullets were later seen strewn across the road, alongside what appeared to be blood stains.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society told CNN that its paramedics were prevented from reaching the scene to provide medical assistance. An hour passed before health workers at a local hospital finally received the bodies of the four slain family members.
Separate Settler Attack Claims Another Life
The shooting of the Bani Odeh family was not the only violence to rock the West Bank this weekend.
In a separate attack on Saturday afternoon, masked Israeli settlers shot dead a 28-year-old Palestinian man, Amir Oudeh, during two assaults on the village of Qusra, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the activist Sumud Network.
Witnesses described a brutal scene. The victim’s father, Moatassem Oudeh, was shot in the leg as he rushed to help his son. He was then beaten in the head with a wooden club and stabbed multiple times across his body by settlers, the Sumud Network told CNN.
Following the fatal shooting, Israeli military forces entered the village and assaulted residents, according to activists, who described it as punishment for being targeted by what they called an armed militia.
The Israeli military acknowledged the settler attack, telling CNN it strongly condemns such incidents which harm innocent civilians and stated that an investigation has been opened by the Israel Police and the Israel Security Agency.
Rising Violence and International Condemnation
The deadly weekend comes amid a significant escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank. Since late 2023, Israel has dramatically increased its military activities in the territory under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, which has simultaneously pushed to expand Jewish settlements – a move considered illegal under international law.
At the same time, attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property have intensified, while Israeli authorities maintain regular crackdowns on Palestinian movement throughout the territory.
The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem has accused Israel of using the cover of war with Iran to accelerate what it describes as the ethnic cleansing of the West Bank.
On Sunday, the head of the UN’s human rights office in the occupied Palestinian territories issued a stark warning about the worsening situation.
Ajith Sunghay said the recent attacks reflect a pattern of utter disregard for Palestinian lives.
Impunity is driving more killings, more displacement and dispossession, and more suffering for Palestinians across the occupied territory, he said in a statement.
For 11-year-old Khaled Bani Odeh, now alone in a hospital bed with only his brother Mustafa left, the international condemnations and investigations offer little comfort. His family his parents, his little brothers are gone.
Suddenly there were direct gunshots towards us, he had said. “We didn’t know where from.
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