Another Palestinian killed by Israeli army fire in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A young Palestinian died of wounds from Israeli fire during a military raid in the West Bank town of Yabad on Thursday, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement identified the victim as Hafez Abu Baker, 24.

According to witnesses, Israeli forces raided the town in the northern West Bank at dawn and stormed several homes in the area.

The new fatality brought the Palestinian death toll to 528, including 132 children, from Israeli army fire in the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Health Ministry.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which killed nearly 36,600 people following a Hamas attack last Oct. 7.

Israel stands accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara