Israeli forces wound Palestinian in West Bank

By Aysar Alais and Mohammad Sio

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - A Palestinian man was shot and wounded by Israeli forces late Thursday in Hebron governorate in the southern occupied West Bank.

The Palestine Red Crescent said in a statement that its teams treated the 28-year-old man, who was shot in both legs in the town of Bani Naim, and transported him to a hospital for treatment.

Witnesses told Anadolu that the man was shot at the entrance of Bani Naim while trying to pass through an Israeli military checkpoint.

The incident occurred amid an ongoing Israeli military operation since Jan. 21 across the northern West Bank governorates of Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas and Nablus.

The offensive has killed 46 Palestinians, wounded dozens and led to the arrest of many others, while forcibly displacing more than 20,000 people and causing widespread destruction to property and infrastructure.

The Israeli escalation in the West Bank follows a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal in Gaza on Jan. 19 after more than 15 months of Israeli bombardment which has killed over 48,200 Palestinians and devastated the enclave.

Since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have killed at least 912 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In July last year, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land illegal and demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.