At least four Palestinians, including a teenager, have been killed in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli soldiers have been conducting deadly raids for months and settlers have been violently rampaging against civilians unchecked, backed by the military.
The teenager was shot by Israeli forces, while the other three Palestinians were killed in an Israeli settler attack on the town of Kafr Malek, northeast of Ramallah. Seven others were injured in the settler attack.
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the town, burning vehicles and homes as residents of neighboring villages attempted to confront them, local sources said. Israeli troops provided protection for the settlers and fired live rounds. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it treated at least five wounded Palestinians who suffered gunshot wounds, with some in serious condition.
“We call on the international community to urgently intervene to protect our Palestinian people,” Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh said in a message on X, condemning the settlers’ actions “under the protection of the Israeli army”.
In another incident, Israeli troops shot dead a 15-year-old Palestinian boy during a raid on al-Yamoun, a town west of Jenin. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the teenager as Rayan Tamer Houshieh, who succumbed to his wounds after being shot in the neck.
This incident marked the second time a teenager was reported killed in the occupied territory in two days, following the death of 13-year-old Ammar Hamayel in Kafr Malek.
The occupied West Bank has seen repeated Israeli raids, resulting in deaths, injuries, and arrests. In the Shu’fat refugee camp, north of occupied East Jerusalem, a 66-year-old woman was shot in the head and killed by Israeli forces during a raid. Her husband confirmed that she posed no threat.
Large-scale military incursions into Jenin and its refugee camp, as well as Tulkarem and the Nur Shams refugee camp, have resulted in widespread destruction and displacement of at least 40,000 people.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Palestine has expressed alarm at the “wave of renewed violence” by Israeli settlers and armed forces in the West Bank. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk emphasized that “Israel must immediately and completely cease all settlement activities and evacuate all settlers, stop the forcible transfer of the Palestinian population, and prevent and punish attacks by its security forces and settlers”.
Since October 7, 2023, over 736 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and nearly 1,600 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have been documented, resulting in casualties or property damage. The ongoing violence has led to a significant humanitarian crisis, with thousands of people displaced and homes demolished.