Young Palestinian killed by Israeli army fire in occupied West Bank

By Awad Rajoob

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian youth was shot dead by Israeli army forces in the occupied West Bank on Monday evening, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said an 18-year-old man sustained critical injuries after being shot in the chest during a military raid in Nablus and later succumbed to his wounds.

According to the official news agency Wafa, Israeli forces detained three Palestinians in Wadi el-Maleh area in the Jordan Valley.

Israeli forces raided several homes and a school in the area and ransacked property, the broadcaster said.

Another Palestinian and his son were arrested by Israeli forces in the town of Bartaa in the northern West Bank.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank due to Israel’s deadly war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,900 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

Over 784 Palestinians have since been killed and over 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