Palestinian child killed in West Bank, bringing death toll in territory to 84 since Gaza conflict onset

By Ahmed Gouda

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - A Palestinian minor was killed by Israeli army fire early Saturday in the West Bank city of Jericho when Israeli forces raided the Aqabat Jaber and Ein as-Sulṭan refugee camps, according to witnesses.

Six people were injured by army fire during the raid, while two were detained, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement.

Medical sources said a minor who was injured in clashes between residents and Israeli forces, later died from his wounds.

Witnesses said a house belonging to Palestinian detainee Maher Shalon was demolished by Israeli forces. Israel blames Shalon for an attack that killed an Israeli settler in the Jordan Valley earlier this year.

The new fatality brought the Palestinian death toll in the occupied West Bank to 84 since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a cross-border attack into Israeli border towns. It said the incursion was in retaliation for the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and growing violence by Israeli settlers.

The West Bank is witnessing rising tension and field confrontations between Palestinians and the Israeli army, coinciding with the deterioration of the situation in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military launched a massive air campaign on Gaza following the attack by Hamas, putting the territory’s 2.3 million residents under total siege and a blockade of food, fuel and medical supplies.

At least 4,137 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while the figure stands at more than 1,400 people in Israel.