Palestinian child injured by Israeli army fire in West Bank raid

By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian child was injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday evening, the Red Crescent Society said.

The organization said the 14-year-old boy was shot in both legs by Israeli forces during clashes in the town of Beit Furik near Nablus.

According to the official news agency Wafa, clashes erupted in the town after an Israeli military raid, with army forces using live fire and tear gas canisters against angry residents.

Israeli forces also staged raids in other villages in the Nablus area, including Salem, Deir al-Hatab, Yatma, Qusra, Qabalan, and Kafr Qallil.

No injuries or arrests were reported.

Tensions have been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,700 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Over 780 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio