Palestinian killed by Israeli army gunfire in occupied West Bank

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - At least one Palestinian was killed by Israeli army gunfire during a military raid in the West Bank city of Tulkarm on Friday.

“A Palestinian was killed by Israeli army gunfire in Nur Shams Camp,” the Palestinian News Agency Wafa reported without clarifying the circumstances of the incident.

Local sources told Anadolu that the victim is Salim Ghanem.

Ghanem was wounded by an Israeli sniper's bullet while he was in his home in the Nur Shams camp, sources said.

“The Israeli army has expanded its operations in the city of Tulkarm as it continues to siege and raid homes in the Nur Shams camp in addition to storming several neighborhoods in the city, most notably the Dhahaba neighborhood,” witnesses told Anadolu.

They added that the army sent military reinforcements to the camp amid the outbreak of armed clashes with Palestinians.

Military bulldozers accompanied the Israeli force in the camp where it destroyed infrastructure, they said.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its crews "transferred two people injured by beatings by the (Israeli) occupation forces in the Nur Shams camp to the Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in the city of Tulkarm.”

Israeli Army Radio said Thursday that the army launched a wide-scale operation in the refugee camp without providing details on the objectives or duration.

Tensions have been high across the occupied West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 34,000 victims following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

At least 468 Palestinians have since been killed and more than 4,800 injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi.