West Bank mothers mourn children killed in the conflict

In the West Bank, Palestinian mothers are enduring the profound sorrow of losing their children in the ongoing conflict. A visual story featuring twelve women photographed between July 10 and August 7, 2026, captures their individual narratives of loss. These women recount how their lives were abruptly upended by the deaths of their children and teenagers since October 7, 2023. Despite the varying circumstances of each tragedy, many families express frustration over the lack of answers and accountability.

Rights groups have documented a staggering number of Palestinian children killed in the West Bank during this period, highlighting the immense toll on families. Among these stories, Palestinian woman Hanan Al-Naasan, mother of seventeen-year-old national youth football player Fadi Al-Naasan, who was fatally shot by Israeli forces, stands with her portrait taken inside their living room in Al-Mughayyir, West Bank, on August 2, 2026.

Similarly, Salam Masoud Na’jeh, whose fifteen-year-old sons Mohammad and Morad Masoud Na’jeh were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their house rooftop, is photographed next to their beds in Al-Farah Refugee Camp, West Bank, on July 21, 2026.

Samira Gharbeya, mother of fourteen-year-old Mahmoud killed in a drone strike, holds a potted plant in Jenin, West Bank, on July 27, 2026. Safaa Jadallah, whose fourteen-year-old son Jihad Jumaa was shot by Israeli forces, smells her son's hat while standing for a portrait in Al-Farah Refugee Camp, West Bank, on July 21, 2026. Hanen Shaalan, whose fifteen-year-old son Adam was killed outside a bakery by Israeli forces, holds a potted plant gifted by her son on Mother's Day in Al-Duheishe Refugee Camp, south of Bethlehem, West Bank, on August 3, 2026.

Nihan Al-Naasan, whose fifteen-year-old son Mohammed Sa’ad was shot during Friday prayers outside a mosque, stands with her son in his bedroom in Turmus Ayya, West Bank, on August 2, 2026. Eman Lemon, whose thirteen-year-old daughter Bana was killed by Israeli forces while looking out of her bedroom window, stands with her daughter's bed in Krayot, West Bank, on July 10, 2026.

Sujood Hamdan, whose eleven-year-old son Abdullah was killed during a military raid, stands in front of her son's bed in Nablus, West Bank, on July 10, 2026. Dania Abu Haikal, whose seven-month-old son Sam was killed by Israeli forces while sitting on her lap in the car, holds her late son's teddy bear while standing in Bethlehem, West Bank, on August 7, 2026.

Alia al-Hallaq, whose nine-year-old son Mohammad was killed by an Israeli army bullet, stands with her son's thawb in Al-Rayhiyya, West Bank, on July 16, 2026.