On Tuesday, a Palestinian teenager was fatally shot by Israeli soldiers during a nighttime raid in the West Bank city of Nablus. The young man, identified by the Palestinian Health Ministry as Hamza Amjad al Ashqar, aged 17, died after being struck in the face in the course of the operation. Health officials report that this year alone, clashes with Israeli forces have claimed 42 lives, including nine minors. The tally cited by Palestinian authorities indicates a rise in fatalities, with the Wafa News Agency noting that by 2022 the number of deaths had reached 224 in similar confrontations.
During the raid in eastern Nablus, Israeli Armed Forces personnel entered several neighborhoods and conducted searches of multiple homes. Three residents who engaged with security forces during the operation were arrested, according to reports from Al Quds News Network. The confrontation underscored the persistent volatility in the area and the ongoing cycle of arrests and clashes that accompany such incursions.
A day earlier, the Israeli Army stated that several armed individuals were killed during a raid near Jericho as authorities sought to detain individuals suspected of involvement in a January attack on a local restaurant that resulted in no injuries. The announced fatalities followed a series of operations by security forces aimed at disrupting militant activity in the region, highlighting the enduring security challenges faced by communities in the West Bank.