Palestinian boy killed by Israeli army gunfire in West Bank

By Awad Rjoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian boy was killed Sunday evening by Israeli army gunfire in Hebron governorate in the southern West Bank, according to local health officials.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a brief statement that the General Authority of Civil Affairs, an official liaison with the Israeli side, informed them of “the martyrdom of the child Majd Shahir Aramin, 14, by occupation gunfire near the town of Sa'ir.”

This brings the number of Palestinians killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank to 519 since the start of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7 last year, in addition to about 5,000 injured, according to figures from the Ministry of Health.

Earlier in the day, the official Palestine Voice radio station said “occupation forces fired at a young man near Beit Einun junction north of Hebron,” confirming that the “young man was injured by gunfire,” without specifying his condition.

An eyewitness told Anadolu that "the occupation army was seen transporting a young man, without clarifying his condition."

Tensions have been high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Israel is 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, a city in southern Gaza where more than a million displaced Palestinians had sought refuge.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala