By Awad Rjoob
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – With the overnight killing of a young man by the Israeli army, the Palestinian death toll in the West Bank since the start of the ongoing conflict on Oct. 7 has risen to 288, the Palestinian Health Ministry said on Saturday.
The ministry announced in a brief statement that “Hamza Ibrahim Muhammad Bashkar, 30, was killed by Israeli forces gunfire near the town of Huwara on Friday evening.”
The ministry did not provide further details about the circumstances of Bashkar’s killing.
A source from the city of Nablus told Anadolu that the Israeli army killed Bashkar after accusing him of attempting to stab soldiers.
The body is now in the custody of the Israeli army, the source added.
In addition to the 288 Palestinians killed, 3,430 others have been injured in the West Bank since Oct. 7, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said on Saturday that Israeli authorities “arrested 16 citizens on Saturday, which brings the number of detainees in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, to about 4,520 Palestinians since Oct. 7.”
Tensions have been running high across the West Bank amid an Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
* Writing by Ikram Kouachi