Palestinian boy killed by Israeli army fire in West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank on Monday, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement identified the victim as Hatem Sami Ghaith, saying he was critically injured by Israeli fire in the Qalandia refugee camp north of Jerusalem and succumbed to his wounds.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said early Monday that six people were injured, including one critically, in an Israeli military raid in the camp.

Israeli forces searched several homes and detained 15 people during the raid amid clashes during which Israeli forces used live fire, rubber bullets and tear gas canisters, according to witnesses.

A Palestinian elder was killed by Israeli army fire in the town of Dura in southern Hebron early on Monday.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7 last year.

At least 744 Palestinians have since been killed, more than 6,200 injured and over 11,100 others detained in the occupied territory, according to Palestinian figures.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul