A 16-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israeli forces during a raid near Bethlehem, amid ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank.
RAMALLAH: Israeli forces shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian boy during a raid in the occupied West Bank on Monday.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the teenager as Ammar Yaser Mohammad Taamara.
It said he was killed by a bullet to the chest fired by Israeli forces during their raid on the town of Tuqu, southeast of Bethlehem.
The Israeli military stated there had been a confrontation in the Tuqu area where rocks were thrown at its soldiers.
“The soldiers used riot dispersal means and later on fired toward a main inciter, and a hit was identified,” the military said in a statement.
It added that the incident is under review.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza.
The unrest has continued despite a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas that began in October.
Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since the Gaza war began, according to an AFP tally.
The tally, based on Palestinian health ministry figures, notes that many of those killed were militants but also included scores of civilians.
At least 44 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations in the West Bank during the same period, according to official Israeli figures. – AFP
