Daijiworld Media Network- Ramallah
Ramallah, Apr 24: A 12-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead during clashes with Israeli forces in Yamoun town, southwest of Jenin, in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Mahmoud Abu al-Haija. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the boy sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the cheek and abdomen and was transported to the Jenin Governmental Hospital, where he was declared dead.
Local witnesses said the confrontation began when Israeli military vehicles stormed the town, leading to fierce clashes with Palestinian youths. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and tear gas during the raid.
In a related incident in Sinjil, a town north of Ramallah, eight Palestinians were injured, including one by gunfire, during a violent attack by Israeli settlers. Three agricultural structures were also burned, local security sources said.
Efforts by civil defence and ambulance teams to access the injured and extinguish the fires were reportedly blocked by Israeli forces, according to the Xinhua news agency.
The Sinjil Village Council issued an urgent call to residents to gather in the affected areas and resist what they described as a continued attempt to seize Palestinian lands.
The Israeli authorities have not issued an official statement regarding either incident at the time of reporting.
Tensions in the occupied West Bank have soared amid ongoing violence and displacement. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, over 956 Palestinians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured, as per Palestinian reports.
Adding to the international scrutiny, in July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories was illegal under international law and demanded the evacuation of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
According to Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCIP), at least 93 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank in 2024. The majority died from gunshot wounds, while others were victims of drone strikes, air raids, or unexploded ordnance left behind by military operations.