Mohammad Fouad Atta Al-Bayed

Their life

Mohammad Fouad Atta Al-Bayed was a 17-year-old Palestinian teenager from the Al-Jalazoun refugee camp, located northwest of Ramallah in the central West Bank. On July 21, 2023, he was killed by Israeli forces during a military raid in the nearby village of Um Safa, where he was shot in the head with live ammunition during protests. He was transported to the Istishari Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead. Mohammad’s death marked yet another fatality among Palestinian children amid Israel’s intensified military operations in the West Bank.

Mohammad Fouad Atta Al-Bayed was a 17-year-old boy living in the Al-Jalazoun refugee camp, a densely populated area that hosts thousands of Palestinian families displaced from their ancestral lands. Like many young people in occupied Palestine, Mohammad grew up in a politically charged environment shaped by frequent military incursions, limited freedoms, and a constant struggle for dignity and survival under Israeli occupation.

On Friday, July 21, 2023, Israeli military forces raided the village of Um Safa, northwest of Ramallah, sparking protests by Palestinian youths, including Mohammad. As demonstrators threw stones at heavily armed Israeli military vehicles—a common act of defiance in the occupied territories—the soldiers responded with live fire, concussion grenades, and tear gas.

During this confrontation, Mohammad was shot in the head with a live bullet, suffering a critical brain injury. He was rushed to Istishari Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead shortly after arrival. Another young man was seriously wounded by a gunshot to the abdomen, and many others suffered from tear gas inhalation.

Mohammad's killing added to the rising death toll of Palestinian children targeted or caught in the line of fire during Israeli operations in 2023. His death was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of the use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians, including minors, during protests and military raids. He was among dozens of children killed that year, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Though specific details about Mohammad’s personal life, education, or aspirations remain limited, his loss has reverberated through his community and beyond. In life, he was a teenager living under occupation. In death, he became one more name in the long list of Palestinian children who have paid the ultimate price amid systemic violence, impunity, and the international community’s inaction.

How they died

Shot in the head with live ammunition by Israeli forces during a protest

Mohammad Fouad Atta Al-Bayed, 17, was killed on July 21, 2023, after being shot in the head with live ammunition by Israeli occupation forces during a military incursion into the village of Um Safa, northwest of Ramallah, in the central West Bank.

According to eyewitness reports and Palestinian health officials, the Israeli military had entered the village, prompting protests from local Palestinian youths who threw stones at the armored military vehicles. In response, Israeli soldiers used disproportionate force, firing live bullets, concussion grenades, and tear gas canisters directly into the crowd.

During the confrontation, Mohammad was struck in the head by a live round fired by Israeli forces, causing a critical brain injury. He was quickly transported to Istishari Hospital, where medical staff attempted to save his life. However, due to the severity of the injury, he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

His death highlights the excessive use of lethal force against unarmed Palestinian civilians, particularly children, during protest situations. Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned such practices as violations of international humanitarian law, especially given the lack of immediate threat posed to armed forces and the clear targeting of vital areas such as the head.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Mohammad Fouad Atta Al-Bayed, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources