Israeli forces kill a Palestinian teenager in West Bank raid, Palestinians claim

RAMALLAH (West Bank) – A raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday saw Israeli forces kill a Palestinian teenager, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

The ministry stated that Hamzeh al Ashkar, a teenager, was attacked by Israeli soldiers in Nablus’ northern city at dawn.

The Israeli military didn’t immediately respond to our request.

The Den of Lions is a group of Nablus combatants with loose factional affiliations. It said that some of its members opened fire on Israeli forces who had “stormed an area”.

Although the group claimed that the teenager killed was from Askar refugee camp in Nablus, they did not claim that he was a member of the group.

According to the advocacy group Palestinian Prisoners Club, at least 18 Palestinians were detained by Israeli forces in Burqin (northwest Bank) on Tuesday morning.

Operations are being carried out at a time of increased tensions, which has raised fears about an escalation of violence.

Seven Israelis were shot and killed by a Palestinian gunman on Jan. 27, just days after an Israeli raid in Jenin, West Bank. Ten Palestinians, including eight gunmen, were also killed in that Israeli raid.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 42 Palestinian civilians and militants were killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the past year.

Israel claims the raids are an Israeli security measure that targets militants. Palestinians view the raids as a form collective punishment. They claim that they are fighting for decades of Israeli occupation.

The violence has prompted both the United States as well as international organisations such the United Nations to call for calm.

(Reporting by Ali Sawafta. Editing and editing by Robert Birsel.