Teen boy from New Jersey shot to death by Israeli troops in West Bank

🔴 A 14-year-old from Bergen County was killed

🔴 Israeli military confirms shooting of "terrorists"

🔴 New Jersey lawmakers react, one calls it an "atrocity"

Officials have confirmed a Palestinian-American teenager from Bergen County was shot to death by Israel Defense Forces troops in the West Bank.

Amer Rabee, 14, formerly of Saddle Brook, and two 15-year-old Palestinian teens were shot on Sunday, NorthJersey.com reported. The other two teenagers survived.

Rabee's family moved from Saddle Brook to Palestine when he was in elementary school, the New York Post reported.

The Palestinian American Community Center in Clifton said Rabee, who was the nephew of one of the center's board members, was shot 11 times.

"Amer was an American dual citizen, and the United States has a duty to protect and bring justice to its citizens. Likewise, the international community has a duty to protect the lives of all children, regardless of race or ethnicity," the center said in a statement.

In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy said he was looking for answers.

“Amer was a U.S. citizen and New Jersey native who grew up in Saddle Brook. As the circumstances of his death remain unclear, I am asking for answers from the Israeli government as to why Amer—who was just 14 years old—was killed," Murphy said.

Israel defends shooting of teens

In a statement on X, the Israeli government defended the shooting and said the teens were "terrorists."

"The force identified three terrorists who were throwing rocks at a highway with civilian vehicles. The fighters fired at the terrorists who posed a danger to civilians, killing one of them and wounding the other two terrorists.," the Israeli government said.

The statement also included a 10-second video clip of grainy thermal imaging. It appears to show three people including one person throwing something.

CBS News reported that Rabee's father said his son is not identifiable in the video.

"The video they [IDF] published is not right, and no one can prove my son was there," Rabee's father told journalists," he said.

New Jersey lawmakers react

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. 12th District, said the killing was an "atrocity."

"How can the Israeli military possibly justify shooting and killing an American teenager in cold blood? The US must step in and stop this madness," Coleman said on X.

U.S. Sens. Andy Kim and Cory Booker both issued statements on Rabee's death and the impact the Israel-Hamas war has had on New Jersey.

Kim said that Edan Alexander, a Tenafly High School graduate, has been held hostage for more than 550 days.

"Amer should be the last child killed in this conflict and Edan must be returned home. A further spiral of violence is not a path that will yield a single victor, and it’s one the United States should work to ensure is stopped immediately," Kim said.

READ MORE: Father of the U.S. hostage in Gaza hopes Trump can bring him home

“From the death of Amer Rabee, Shireen Abu Akleh, and family members of constituents across New Jersey, to Hamas taking Edan Alexander, also an American citizen from New Jersey, hostage – our New Jersey communities are reeling every day because of the personal impact of ongoing conflict in the Middle East," Booker said.

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