PA forces kill Palestinian toddler and teenager in West Bank shooting
Palestinian Authority (PA) forces shot dead a three-year-old girl and her teenage brother in the occupied West Bank city of Tubas on Sunday.
According to local media, Palestinian security forces opened fire on the car of Samer Samara, who is reportedly wanted by the Israeli army, as he was travelling with his wife and children.
His 16-year-old son, Yazan, was killed at the scene. His three-year-old daughter, Ronza, later died from critical head wounds.
Samara was shot in the legs and subsequently arrested by PA forces. His current condition remains unknown.
Following the killings, protests against the PA broke out outside the Turkish Hospital in the city.
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The Committee of Families of Political Detainees - which represents families of Palestinian arbitrarily detained by the PA - condemned the killings, saying that the "serious crime" is part of a systemic policy of targeting Palestinians wanted by Israel, even if it comes at the price of "shedding of Palestinian blood".
The committee said the shooting marked a “dangerous deviation”, accusing PA security services of turning their weapons on their own people rather than protecting them.
In a statement, Hamas also condemned the incident, saying the targeting of Samara and the killing of his children “represents a new black mark” on the record of PA forces, which it accused of oppressing Palestinians instead of safeguarding their security.
The movement said the attack reflected “dangerous repressive policies” pursued by the PA, particularly at a time of what it described as unprecedented Israeli violence in the West Bank.
"We warn of the repercussions of continuing this dangerous approach on the national fabric, and we hold the Palestinian Authority leadership fully responsible for the consequences of these crimes," Hamas added
"The blood of our people is a trust upon all of us, and its shedding cannot be accepted under any pretext."
غضب من قبل الأهالي أمام المستشفى "التركي" في طوباس، عقب مقتل طفلة ونجل سامر سمارة برصاص أجهزة أمن السلطة الفلسطينية.
— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) February 15, 2026
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Ahmed Asaad, governor of Tubas, described the incident as “unfortunate” and said an investigation had been opened.
The PA reportedly sent additional security reinforcements to the area following the shooting.
Anwar Rajab, spokesperson for the PA’s security forces, said that “while the security establishment expresses its deep regret for the casualties during the mission, it confirms that the circumstances of the incident are still under close and diligent investigation”.
PA facing criticism
The PA has faced mounting criticism over its security coordination with Israel.
In December, a Palestinian grassroots body warned that recent political and administrative decisions by the PA risk deepening internal divisions at a time of what it described as “existential challenges” facing Palestinians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and the diaspora.
“The official leadership [of the PA], under Israeli and external pressure, continues to issue decrees, measures and decisions that starkly contradict the popular will, lack any national or popular consensus, and further deepen divisions within the Palestinian arena,” the forum said.
The group also expressed concern over the PA’s suspension earlier this year of payments to the families of “martyrs, wounded Palestinians and prisoners”.
It said the payments were not discretionary welfare measures but a “national, moral and popular duty” rooted in Palestinian law and collective obligation.
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