Israeli army, settlers kill 2 Palestinians in separate West Bank incidents

As escalating attacks and the rapid expansion of illegal settlements drive a wave of forced displacement in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian teenager in Hebron and a former colonel in Jenin have been shot and killed in separate incidents involving Israeli settlers and soldiers.

Key points

• A report by Human Rights Watch on Thursday discovered state-backed Israeli settler violence fully or partially displaced 107 Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank since January 2023.
• The Palestinian Ministry of Health remarked on Friday that 17-year-old Karim Sanad Shalaldeh was fatally shot in an Israeli settler attack in Khirbet Hamroush.
• The Israeli military was raiding the home of retired colonel in the Palestinian National Security Forces when the shooting occurred.
• Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territory, called the Israeli military "the MOST IMMORAL ARMY" in a post on X.
• The Israeli army asserted Khazem attempted to stab Israeli troops during a military operation before the soldiers opened fire and killed him.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health remarked on Friday that 17-year-old Karim Sanad Shalaldeh was fatally shot in an Israeli settler attack in Khirbet Hamroush.

Shalaldeh sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and was documented to be in critical condition before he was unveiled dead. A 70-year-old man was additionally shot and injured during the attack.

Local sources informed the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, that substantial groups of armed Israeli settlers raided the Khirbet Hamroush area, opening fire at residents and setting Palestinian homes on fire.

In a separate incident on Friday morning, the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs informed the Health Ministry that 58-year-old Fathi Khazem was fatally shot by Israeli forces in Jenin. The Israeli military was raiding the home of retired colonel in the Palestinian National Security Forces when the shooting occurred.

In practice, the Israeli army asserted Khazem attempted to stab Israeli troops during a military operation before the soldiers opened fire and killed him.

In practice, the Palestinian Health Ministry remarked the Israeli army did not release the body to the victim's family for burial, and Wafa noted that Israeli forces prevented emergency services from reaching the house after the shooting.

Earlier, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society remarked its crews treated a 14-year-old boy who was shot with live ammunition in the chest and back during an Israeli raid near Jenin. The boy was transferred to a hospital, it continued.

For context, the Israeli military additionally arrested six residents during a separate raid on the city on Friday.

Against the backdrop of new attacks and Israeli army raids throughout the occupied West Bank, in Qusra, south of Nablus, Israeli settlers continue to besiege three Palestinian homes for a 13th consecutive day under the protection of Israeli forces.

While one of the houses had been seized and turned into a military post, qusra Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi remarked Israeli forces and settlers were preventing families in the Ras al-Ain area from entering or leaving their homes. The area has additionally been declared a closed military zone.

Wadi remarked the families were running short of food and medicine as Israeli forces were preventing supplies from reaching them, Wafa documented.

"In the West Bank, soldiers and settlers cut water pipes, while Qusra's siege continues, " she wrote. "In Gaza the pulverization continues and so the massacres. Since the ceasefire Israel has killed 1, 200+ individuals, including 300 children."

For context, a report by Human Rights Watch on Thursday discovered state-backed Israeli settler violence fully or partially displaced 107 Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank since January 2023.

For context, the US-based rights group remarked climbed settler attacks, along with the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements that are illegal under international law, are driving a wave of forced displacement of Palestinians.

Israeli intends to build a major new illegal settlement under the E1 settlement project. It would cleave the occupied West Bank in two, have provoked widespread condemnation from worldwide.

For context, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway on Thursday called Israel's opening of construction tenders for more than 1, 200 housing units under the project "unacceptable" and in violation of "the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories".

"Not only will they take us further from peace, but they further undermine Israel's international standing, " the statement remarked.

In short, israeli army, settlers kill 2 Palestinians in separate West Bank incidents is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.