Israeli troops kill Palestinian teenager in occupied West Bank
Imad Khaled Saleh Hashash, 15, died after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head by Israeli soldiers as the number of Palestinian child killings continues to rise.
A 15-year-old Palestinian has been killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank as Israeli forces stormed a refugee camp near Nablus.
The Palestinian health ministry said Imad Khaled Saleh Hashash died on Tuesday after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head in the Balata refugee camp.
The Israeli army said it conducted an overnight operation in the camp to apprehend “a suspect”.
“During the mission, live ammunition was fired at troops from rooftops. The troops responded with fire towards the sources of the shooting,” it said in a statement.
Hamas, the group ruling the Gaza Strip, issued a statement to mourn the death of Hashash, reported Palestinian media. Hamas also commended Palestinians at Balata camp for standing up to Israeli forces during the raid.
According to the Israeli military, rioting broke out during the operation, with residents hurling concrete blocks and other objects from rooftops at Israeli soldiers.
“During the riot, a number of soldiers spotted a suspect on a rooftop holding a large object in his hands, attempting to throw it at an [Israeli] soldier standing underneath the building. One of the soldiers responded with live fire and a hit was identified,” the statement added, without commenting directly on the teenager’s death.
Deadly violence against Palestinians is common in the West Bank, a Palestinian territory Israel has occupied since 1967.
Earlier this month, four Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces in the restive Jenin refugee camp.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said a series of air attacks on the Gaza Strip overnight hit a Hamas weapons manufacturing site, a tunnel and an underground rocket launch site. The army said it struck an additional tunnel after Hamas fighters fired assault weapons across the border.
The violence comes as ceasefire talks brokered by Egypt continue to deteriorate. It also threatened to overshadow Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s visit on Tuesday to the United States, his first diplomatic trip abroad since talking office in May.
