Israeli army kills Palestinian, destroys homes of two Palestinian detainees in West Bank

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Early on Tuesday, the Israeli army killed a Palestinian during clashes in the central occupied West Bank after demolishing two residential apartments belonging to Palestinian detainees held in Israeli jails.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing security sources, reported that the Israeli army raided the apartment of detainee Aysar Barghouti in the Al-Tira neighborhood of Ramallah and the apartment of Khaled al-Kharouf in Al-Bireh city, subsequently demolishing both residences.

The raids sparked clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army in both cities, resulting in the death of a Palestinian man, identified as Moataz Sarsour, and the injury of three others.

Barghouti and al-Kharouf were detained by Israeli forces on January 8, accused of opening fire on Israeli settlers in July of the previous year.

The Israeli authorities maintain a policy of demolishing the homes of Palestinians accused of attacking Israeli soldiers and settlers, a practice widely condemned as a form of collective punishment prohibited under international law, as it often displaces entire families.

In recent years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, a campaign that has intensified since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, 2023. Palestinians have also faced increased violence from illegal Israeli settlers.

Since the conflict began, at least 624 Palestinians have been killed, and nearly 5,400 others have been injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territories, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion issued on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.