West Bank: Israeli forces kill Palestinian teenager

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager on Tuesday morning in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health officials have said.

The director of Al-Razi Hospital in Jenin, Fawaz Hammad, told the Palestinian news agency, Wafa, that Othman Atef Abu Kharj, 17, died after being shot in the head.

At dawn, Israeli forces stormed the town of Al-Zababdeh, in the north of the West Bank, raiding homes. The assault resulted in a confrontation between Palestinians and Israeli forces which used live bullets and tear gas. 

The killing comes just a day after a Palestinian man protesting against Israeli forces was shot on Monday at the back of the head. 

In a graphic video, which has been widely shared online, the man is seen walking away from Israeli forces when he suddenly falls to the floor. 

Separately on Monday an Israeli settler was also killed in a shooting near the West Bank city of Hebron. 

Two people, a man and a woman in their 40s, were travelling in a car near the Beit Hagai settlement when they reportedly came under fire from a passing vehicle on the Route 60 highway. The woman, who has yet to be identified, died from her wounds, while the man remains in a serious condition, according to Israeli health officials.

On Tuesday morning Israeli forces arrested two Palestinians in Hebron who they alleged had carried out the shooting. The two suspects have not been named.

Violence in the West Bank has been on the rise in recent months amid a spike in deadly settler attacks and army raids against Palestinians.

According to a tally by Middle East Eye, at least 216 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, including 37 children. 

A total of 180 people have died in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, making 2023 one of the bloodiest years in the occupied territory. Another 36 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Palestinians have killed at least 29 Israelis in the same period, including six children.