Israeli forces kill Palestinian boy in West Bank, health ministry says

Israeli forces have shot dead a 14-year-old Palestinian boy during an operation in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities say.

Key points

• Moataz Daghlas was killed on Monday evening in the village of Burqa, north-west of Nablus, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
• Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the two Palestinians wounded during the raid as a 17-year-old child.
• Six Israelis, both security forces and civilians, have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank over the same period, it notes.
• The Israeli military remarked soldiers identified "several terrorists who intended to hurl stones" in an area where stones had previously been thrown at Israeli vehicles.
• Most of the children were teenage boys and, in plenty of cases, Israeli authorities accused them of having engaged in stone-throwing as justification, it identified.

Notably, the Israeli military remarked soldiers identified "several terrorists who intended to hurl stones" in an area where stones had previously been thrown at Israeli vehicles. The soldiers fired towards them "to remove the threat", it continued.

For context, the Palestinian Red Crescent remarked its teams treated two residents with gunshot wounds, but that Israeli forces blocked their access to a third wounded person and detained three volunteer paramedics. Moataz Daghlas's relatives remarked Israeli authorities were withholding his body.

Meanwhile, Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the two Palestinians wounded during the raid as a 17-year-old child. This person it remarked was shot in the abdomen and pelvis, and a 19-year-old man, who was shot in the hand.

According to the UN, at least 98 Palestinians, including 22 children, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the start of the year.

Notably, the rules of engagement for Israeli forces were reportedly broadened after the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, allowing soldiers rose discretion to apply lethal force against a perceived threat.

In June, the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory remarked it had verified the killing of 241 Palestinian children by Israeli security forces and settlers in the West Bank since then.

Notably, the UN office remarked its assessment was that none of the children killed while involved in confrontations with Israeli forces had posed an imminent threat to life. It it stated was the only legal justification for the employ of lethal force in the West Bank under international law.

Taken together, the developments around israeli forces kill Palestinian boy in West Bank, health ministry says point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.