3 Palestinians injured by Israeli army gunfire in occupied West Bank

By Awad Rjoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Three Palestinians were injured on Saturday by Israeli army gunfire in the southern and northern occupied West Bank.

In a brief statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said its teams received "two individuals with live gunshot wounds at the Tarqumiya checkpoint, near Hebron (in the southern West Bank)."

One of the injuries was "serious, affecting the thigh, while the other was in the leg," and both were transported to a local hospital in Hebron, the PRCS said.

Israeli forces opened fire on two workers from Tarqumiya at the town's military checkpoint, said the Palestinian news agency Wafa, without providing further details.

The PRCS reported in a separate statement that its teams transported one person to the hospital after receiving a gunshot wound to the thigh at the Salem military checkpoint west of Jenin, in the northern West Bank.

Wafa also reported that the Israeli army raided the villages of Arranah and Jalamah, north of Jenin, and the village of Al-Funduq, east of Qalqilya, in the northern West Bank.

The news agency added that "several Israeli military vehicles stormed Arranah, and others entered Jalamah, without reports of arrests or clashes.

“Israeli military vehicles were deployed along the main street in the center of Al-Funduq village, where a military checkpoint was set up, obstructing the movement of citizens and causing severe traffic congestion in the area.”

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank amid Israel’s devastating military offensive on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,200 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7.

At least 703 people, including 159 children, have been killed and more than 5,700 injured by Israeli fire in the West Bank, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation followed a landmark opinion by the International Court of Justice on July 19, which declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala​​​​​​​