JERUSALEM: Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager and injured two others in a raid on a refugee camp near Jericho in the occupied West Bank on Monday, according to the health ministry of Palestine.
Mohammed Fayez Balhan was killed after being shot with live bullets in the head, chest, and abdomen. Clashes erupted when the Israeli army entered the camp and surrounded several houses, and five individuals were arrested during the raid.
The incident comes amid surging violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in recent days, coinciding with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Jewish Passover, and Christian Easter.
On Wednesday, Israeli authorities conducted a pre-dawn raid on the prayer hall of Al-Aqsa mosque, considered Islam’s third-holiest site, to remove barricaded individuals they deemed as lawbreakers and agitators.
The following day, over 30 rockets were launched into Israel from Lebanon, with the Israeli military pointing to Palestinian groups, particularly Hamas, as the likely culprits.
Israeli forces attack on Gaza and Lebanon
As a result, Israel launched retaliatory attacks on Gaza and southern Lebanon, targeting structures it believed were linked to terrorist activities.
A suspected car-ramming incident in Tel Aviv on Friday resulted in the death of an Italian tourist and injuries to seven others.
The ongoing violence has sparked widespread concerns and calls for restraint across the region. Since the beginning of this year, the conflict has caused the loss of lives of at least 94 Palestinians, 18 Israelis, one Ukrainian, and one Italian, including both civilians and combatants, including minors, on both sides.
The Aqabat Jaber camp has been a frequent target of Israeli raids in recent months, including a January operation that Israel claimed had killed five militants.
The recent surge in violence has raised concerns about the escalation of the conflict and the possibility of a wider regional conflagration.
