A 15-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed by Israeli military forces during a raid near Bethlehem on Friday, according to Palestinian health officials. The incident was one of three Palestinian deaths reported that day as violence continues to escalate in the West Bank.
Palestinian health officials report that Israeli forces fatally shot a 15-year-old boy during a military operation near Bethlehem on Friday evening, marking another deadly incident as tensions continue to rise in the West Bank.
Medical authorities confirmed the teenager succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital after arriving in critical condition with an abdominal gunshot wound, according to a statement from the Palestinian health ministry.
Palestinian news agency WAFA reported the shooting occurred during an Israeli military operation in the Dheisheh refugee camp.
Israeli military officials acknowledged that their forces killed a Palestinian during what they characterized as a “violent riot” where rocks were hurled at troops in the Bethlehem area. Military statements did not reveal the identity of the person killed or explain the reason for the military presence in the location.
This death represents the third Palestinian fatality attributed to Israeli forces in the West Bank on Friday alone, with WAFA news agency reporting two additional Palestinian men were shot and killed by Israeli troops earlier that day.
The region has experienced escalating violence following Hamas’s devastating assault on Israel from Gaza in October 2023.
Following that attack, Israeli military forces have imposed stricter limitations on Palestinian movement throughout the West Bank and conducted operations that have forced entire communities to relocate, while attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have also intensified.
Palestinian militants have likewise conducted fatal attacks targeting Israelis during this period.