The Palestinian Health Ministry announced on Tuesday that Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager during an Israeli army operation in the occupied West Bank.
Hamza al-Ashqar, 17, died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the ministry, which gave no further details about the incident.
To date, there has been no confirmation of this death by the Israeli army.
The incident came a day after Israeli forces killed five Palestinian gunmen during an operation at a refugee camp, also in the occupied West Bank.
Tensions have been high for months as Israel has conducted night raids to make arrests in the West Bank following a series of Palestinian attacks on Israelis last spring.
In the early morning hours, Israel Defense Forces agents raided a town east of Nablus and raided several homes, sparking clashes, according to the Palestinian news agency. Al Qudswhich showed that three people had been arrested.
The Palestinian Authority declared it would cease security coordination with Israel after 10 Palestinians were killed in an operation last month.
Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2022, making it the deadliest year in those areas since 2004, according to data from the Israeli Human Rights Organization. B’Tselem.
According to Palestinian authorities, 42 Palestinians, including nine minors, have been killed in these areas since the beginning of this year. About 30 Israelis were killed in Palestinian attacks in 2022.
The wave of violence between Israel and the Palestinians comes at a time of tension surrounding the new Israeli government, considered the most right-wing in the country’s history.
Israel’s National Security Minister, ultra-nationalist Itamar Ben-Gvir, has pledged to continue his visits to Jerusalem’s holy sites, despite Jordanian calls for Israel to preserve the fragile balance in this area.
Source: DN
