Israeli forces shoot dead Palestinian man in latest bloodshed
At least 84 Palestinians have been killed so far in 2023, making this year one of the bloodiest on track.
Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian man they say approached them with a drawn knife, the latest killing of a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the death of Yazan Omar Jamil Khasib, 23, who died “after the occupation [Israeli forces] opened fire on him Friday at the northern entrance to the city of el-Bireh near Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank.
None of the Israeli troops were harmed.
The Israeli army later said its troops “saw a suspect and asked him to identify himself”. They claimed the man then drew a knife and Israeli forces opened fire and “neutralized” him, the army said in a statement, adding that the killing took place near Beitin, a Palestinian village near el- Bireh.
At least 84 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of this year.
On Thursday, at least four Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. A week earlier, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in a raid in Jenin and less than 48 hours later, six others were killed in another raid in the same city.
In January, Israeli soldiers killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a large-scale operation in the Jenin refugee camp.
Palestinian attacks on Israelis led to the deaths of 14 people in 2023.
The murder of the 23-year-old on Friday adds to the current round of bloodshed and puts 2023 on track to be one of the worst years for violence in the Palestinian territories in years.
More than 170 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids on the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem throughout 2022, according to the human rights organization B’Tselem, making last year one of the deadliest in the occupied territories since 2004.
According to news reports, 30 Israelis were killed during the same period in 2022.