Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in West Bank

The Palestinian health ministry reported the death of a 36-year-old man who was shot in the head by Israeli forces in the town of Aqabah, located in the Jordan Valley. Another man sustained gunshot wounds during the incident.

The Israeli military asserted that an exchange of fire occurred with armed individuals during the operation, resulting in the injury of one of the individuals involved. However, local witnesses disputed this account, asserting that the deceased man was not part of the clashes but was struck by a bullet while in a nearby field.

The military stated that its forces, accompanied by border police, had surrounded a house in Aqabah, employing shoulder-fired rockets and grenades against the structure. They subsequently discovered two improvised explosive devices within the building and apprehended two wanted suspects.

Witnesses described extensive damage to the house, with a significant hole blown into an external wall, sections of an interior wall destroyed, and debris scattered throughout a sitting room.

Over the past 18 months, the West Bank has witnessed a surge in violence, marked by a series of lethal attacks by Palestinians against Israelis, aggressive actions by Jewish settlers targeting Palestinian towns and villages, and intensified military operations by the Israeli armed forces.

On Thursday, a Palestinian truck driver carried out a ramming attack near a checkpoint on the border with the West Bank, resulting in the death of an Israeli soldier.

During this period, thousands of Palestinians have been detained, and hundreds have lost their lives, predominantly individuals involved in armed confrontations with Israeli troops but also including several uninvolved civilians.

Simultaneously, dozens of Israelis and several foreigners have been killed in Israel and the West Bank. The West Bank is an area that Palestinians aspire to be at the core of a future state but has been under Israeli occupation since the 1967 Middle East war.