Palestinian child, a Ronaldo fan, killed by Israel while playing football

The Israeli army shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy, Naji al-Baba, in the occupied West Bank while he was playing football. Naji, a sports enthusiast and a devoted fan of Portuguese football icon Cristiano Ronaldo, dreamed of becoming a professional footballer.

Known as the "darling of the family" for his kindness and contributions to household chores, Naji was the fifth of six siblings. He spent hours honing his football skills and enjoyed playing with friends in his neighborhood.

On November 3, what began as a routine day turned into a tragedy.

Naji attended school and returned home briefly before heading out to play football near his house. During the game, Israeli soldiers opened fire on the children while Najs was hit and badly injured. .

Naji’s 47-year-old father, Nidal Abdel Moti al-Baba, rushed to the scene but was assaulted by Israeli soldiers, who broke his hand. 

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Naji's mother described her son as a child who "grew up before his age," adding, “When he left us, I felt that I lost a part of me that we’ll never get back.”

The occupation army claimed Naji was in an area designated as prohibited for Palestinians. 

They refused to hand over Naji’s body and only hours later the family came to know that it had been transported to a hospital in a Palestinian ambulance.

Medical reports revealed that Naji had sustained four gunshot wounds to his heart, foot, pelvis, and shoulder and endured severe injuries for over 30 minutes before receiving any assistance.

Nidal lifted the funeral of his son on his broken shoulder alongside other grieving family members.