Palestinian killed, three others injured in Israeli raid in occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have killed a young Palestinian man and injured three others during a raid on a refugee camp in the eastern West Bank city of Ariha, amid simmering tensions across the occupied territories.
The governor of Ariha and the Jordan Valley, Jihad Abu al-Asal, told the official Palestinian Wafa news agency that the man, identified as 20-year-old Suleiman Ayesh, was fatally shot in the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp early on Monday, Press TV reported.
He added that Palestinian medical sources confirmed that three people were also injured as Israeli troops fired shots indiscriminately at residents of the camp.
The Israeli military claimed in a statement that it was operating in the area when two suspects were spotted fleeing. Soldiers opened fire and struck at least one of the suspects.
Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested. Most of the raids have focused on the West Bank cities of Nablus and Jenin, where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a growing Palestinian resistance against occupation.
Local and international rights groups have condemned Israel’s excessive use of force and “shoot-to-kill policy” against Palestinians. Since the start of the holy month of Ramadan, the Israeli regime has also imposed strict restrictions on the entry and exit of Palestinians to and from the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque.
On April 4, heavily armed Israeli forces stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound before firing tear gas and stun grenades into the Qibli prayer hall, where hundreds of men, women, elderly people, and children were staying overnight to pray. Some eyewitnesses said rubber-coated steel bullets were also fired.
Israeli forces have wounded and rounded up hundreds of Palestinians during the attacks that have seen a rise since the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan. Illegal Israeli settlers have, meanwhile, been freely violating the compound under the Israeli military and police force’s protection.