The Israeli military shot dead a 15-year-old Palestinian boy on Friday in the occupied West Bank's Qalqilya city and injured two others including a child who is in critical condition, Al Jazeera reported.
The deceased was identified as Muhammad Nidal Salim and was shot by bullets in the back, as per the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
“Two others were injured including a child who is in critical condition,” the ministry added, without giving their ages.
Over the last year, the Israeli military intensified raids in the occupied region, killing hundreds of civilians.
In 2022, Israel has killed 215 Palestinian civilians and 66 Palestinians, including 'gunmen' and civilians since the start of 2023.
Thirteen Israelis and a Ukrainian tourist died in Palestinian attacks in the same period, according to official Israeli figures.
With the intensifying Israeli military raids and unending impunity, the attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have also spiked. Many of these attacks are recorded, showing that the attacks often take place under the protection or in coordination with the Israeli army, sometimes forces and settlers shooting side by side.
Last Sunday (26 February) at least 400 Israeli settlers set several Palestinian villages ablaze in Nablus, Hawara; 30 homes were burned down including 100 cars and Palestinians were beaten with metal rods and rocks during which one man was killed and hundreds injured.
Credits, Andula Agency
On March 1, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister who also handles civil administration in the occupied West Bank, said ‘Hawara should be wiped out.’
Between 2010 and 2019, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded 3,000 Israeli settler attacks, killing 22 Palestinians and injuring 1,258 others across the occupied West Bank.
Reportedly, during the first two months of 2023, five Palestinians were by Israeli settlers, three in 2022, five in 2021, none in 2022 and two in 2019.
The majority of settlements are illegal and built on private Palestinian land. Despite being outside of ‘Israel authority’, these settlers are granted Israeli citizenship and receive government subsidies that significantly lower their cost of living.
In contrast, Palestinians living in the West Bank are subject to Israeli military law.