Family and community members in the Chicago area are mourning the loss of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, who was shot and killed by the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank.

Ammar Hamayel was walking with friends in the village of Kafr Malik when the IDF shot him in the neck, according to his family. The IDF then detained him for about two hours, preventing any aid from reaching him, according to the Defense for Children International - Palestine.

On Tuesday, an Azza, or Islamic visitation, was held in southwest suburban Bridgeview to honor his life. Bridgeview, also known as Little Palestine, has strong ties to Kafr Malik, whose population is fewer than 3,000.

Ammar's cousins were supported by dozens of community members, who filed into the Azza.

 "We gather here today not just to mourn, but to bear witness," said Marwon Kartoun, who said Ammar was his cousin. "He's a truly, example of a kind person."

Kartoun said Ammar was smart, positive, and a member of the Palestinian Muaythai National Team — which plays a combat or martial arts sport. Ammar had big dreams of becoming a champion of Muay Thai, and he had already won several competitions in his age group.

The International Federation of Muaythai Associations (IFMA) lowered its flags to half-mast and held a moment of silence in his honor at the Asian Championships on June 25.

IFMA also published an obituary, writing that he had a "heart full of courage and a future full of promise."

"He trained with discipline, competed with pride, and carried the hopes of his nation with every step. We will forever cherish the memories we shared with Ammar — especially during our Youth Peace Camp. His energy, his laughter, his calls for peace, and his dream of a better world are etched in our hearts."

The General Secretary of IFMA, Stephan Fox, shared a commemoration on Instagram. "He was always the first to arrive at training, the last to leave. He didn't just want to be a champion in the ring; he wanted to be a champion for life," he wrote.

"To the soldier/s who pulled the trigger—twice—there is no excuse, no justification. You were not under threat, Ammar stood with his bicycle and a friend. You killed a child. The world must not look away. The world must never forget. Ammar, you are and always will be an inspiration. Your legacy lives on in our hearts, in our fight for justice, and in our unwavering commitment to a world where children grow up safe, valued, and free," Fox wrote.

Jafar Hamayel is one of Ammar's cousins who lives in the West Bank. Over Zoom with the help of a translator, he said, "This is what's going on every day here in Palestine. Without reasoning, Israel is killing people."

Groups like UNICEF, Amnesty International, and the Human Rights Watch have sounded the alarm on increased violence in the West Bank. According to a report published by UNICEF in July 2024, 143 Palestinian children had been killed since October 2023. That is equivalent to one Palestinian child killed every two days. 

 "The situation has deteriorated significantly, coinciding with the escalation of hostilities inside Gaza," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.   

According to the United Nations (UN), Israeli security forces killed more than twice the number of Palestinians in the West Bank in 2023 than in any year since systematic data collection began in 2005.

"Ammar is another life that has been cut short in a land where childhood has become a battleground," said Kartoun. "

"It's important to see the big picture. This has been happening every single day, and there is pressure being put on the people, with roads closed, cutting off access to resources, and killing people," Kartoun said. 

"We remember Ammar not only with sorrow but with a vow to speak out his name, to share his story, and to demand justice. Not just for him but for every child who wakes up under the shadow of fear rather than the light of freedom," he said.

Two days after Ammar was killed, three more men were killed in Karf Malik, who also have family in the Chicago area. Another Azza will be held in Bridgeview on Thursday night for Lotfi Baerat, Morshed Hammayel and Mohammed Alnajji, who were killed by settlers who raided their village.

CBS News Chicago reached out to the IDF and the Palestinian Health Ministry for comment.