Shot by Israeli forces, Hala, 18 and Mohammad, 13 fight for their lives

An 18-year-old bride-to-be in Gaza and a 13-year-old boy in the West Bank remain in intensive care after being shot in the head.Hala Salem Darwish, 18, is on life support inside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah. Another Palestinian, 13-year-old Mohammad Saber al-Sheikh, has been battling for life at a hospital in the occupied West Bank.Hala was preparing dinner for her family and Mohammad was playing football when they were shot in the head by Israeli snipers.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why are anti-war protests in the West muted on Iran?list 2 of 4British universities paid security firm to ‘spy’ on pro-Palestine studentslist 3 of 4The EU must not wait till Israel starts executing Palestinianslist 4 of 4Germany and Italy block bid to suspend EU-Israel trade pactend of listTheir stories, unfolding nearly 100km (62 miles) apart, highlight the persistent and deadly violence faced by Palestinian youth across the occupied Palestinian territory.Hala Salem Darwish, 18, was preparing for her May 1 wedding before an Israeli sniper’s bullet shattered her dreams inside her family home in Maghazi [Courtesy of family]Hala: A shattered weddingHala, who was sheltering in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, was eagerly looking forward to her wedding, scheduled for May 1. The youngest daughter in her family, she had already prepared her henna and finalised the arrangements for the celebration.Those plans were shattered when an Israeli sniper, positioned east of the camp, shot her in the head while she was preparing dinner inside her home near a clinic run by the UN refugee agency for the Palestinians (UNRWA). She may join the more than 72,000 Palestinians killed by Israel since October 2023. Nearly 40,000 of those killed are women and children.“She had everything ready for the henna, the wedding, and all the traditions you know,” Mohammad Abu Jabr, a journalist and relative of Hala’s fiance, told Al Jazeera.“But the bullet killed this dream.” Hala remains on life support in the intensive care unit at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in critical condition.13-year-old Mohammad Saber al-Sheikh remains in critical condition in Ramallah, with his father, Saber, watching over him after he was shot while playing football [Al Jazeera/screengrab]Mohammad: Football under fireIn the occupied West Bank, a similar tragedy struck the Jalazone refugee camp on April 9. Thirteen-year-old Mohammad was playing outside his home when Israeli forces raided the camp amid heavy gunfire.