The teen, identified as Omar Khumour by the Palestinian Health Ministry, passed away after being shot in the head during an Israeli military incursion into the Dheisha refugee camp close to Bethlehem. Outside the Bethlehem hospital where he passed away, angry crowds of Palestinians gathered and sang both praise for God and condemnation of Israel.
According to a count by The Associated Press, Khumour's death takes the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank so far this year to 14, including three minors.In the occupied West Bank, which Israel took in the 1967 Middle East conflict, together with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip — territory the Palestinians desire for their aspirational state — violence and unrest have been raging for months. The West Bank is currently home to around 130 settlements housing about 500,000 Israelis, which the Palestinians and much of the international world see as a barrier to peace.
Since late spring, the Israeli military has been conducting arrest operations in the region almost every night. The operations were in response to a spate of Palestinian attacks on Israelis that left 19 people dead. Later that year, another wave of attacks claimed the lives of 10 more Israelis.According to Israel, the raids are intended to destroy extremist networks and prevent further assaults. The Palestinians perceive them as a further encroachment on the areas that Israel has been occupying for an unending 55 years and want for their future state.
According to data from the Israeli rights organisation B'Tselem, 2022 was the bloodiest year since 2004 for Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Most of those killed, according to Israel, were militants. However, Palestinians who threw stones, adolescents who were protesting the invasions, and other individuals have also been slain.
Follow the latest news on Google News
