A 14-year-old was killed when the Israeli military allegedly shot him near the Bani Suheila roundabout in Khan Younis, Gaza on February 18, 2026.
Muhannad Jamal Muhammad al-Najjar was reportedly killed by Israeli military bullets near the Bani Suheila roundabout. Al-Quds Channel and WAFA News identified Muhannad’s age as 14 years old while the Genocide in Gaza database listed his age as 15. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza (MoH) recorded Muhannad as a 14-year-old. This was in contrast to an initial report from @ShehabAgency, which stated that a 20-year-old young man was shot near the Bani Suheila roundabout. Given the that the majority of reports identified Muhannad as a teenager, he has been recorded as such. In terms of age, Airwars has recorded his age in line with the entry from the MoH. This will be updated should additional information become available.
According to Nabil Ishnina Al-Najjar, Muhannad was the third of his siblings to be killed. Muhannad’s mother Abeera Najar [Al-Najjar] expressed the pain of her loss, writing on Facebook, “How will I live my life without you and your siblings? Lord, grant me patience.” Jamal al-Najjar, likely Muhannad’s father, also expressed his pain at his “absence” and included a picture of a boy wearing an orange shirt and vest.
Al Jazeera quoted Nasser Medical Complex as announcing the killing of a “Palestinian man” near the Israeli army’s deployment area in the town of Bani Suheila. Ismail Haouari stated that Muhannad’s funeral procession and farewell ceremony took place at Nasser Hospital, and included images of his body being carried by young men.
Images posted by Al Jazeera and Al-Quds Channel on Facebook show family members and residents of Bani Suheila mourning over the body of Muhannad, with many showing their distress and lovingly saying goodbye to him as sources pointed out that it was the first day of Ramadan.
Where sources identified a belligerent, all sources attributed the attack to the Israeli military.
On July 5, 2026 Iraq Body Count (IBC) published a list of identified victims killed in Gaza, encompassing the period between between 7 Oct 2023 and 7 May 2026. Airwars matched Muhannad's name to an entry, recording his age and national identity number.