Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank refugee camp raid
Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian during an overnight raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said on Tuesday.
"Ayed Samih Khaled was shot by live occupation bullets fired to the head," the ministry said.
Israeli forces stormed the Nour Shams camp, near the city of Tulkarm, north of the West Bank, on Tuesday at dawn with a number of military vehicles and a bulldozer.
The Israeli army bulldozer destroyed a main road at the entrance of the camp linking Tulkarm to other West Bank towns and cities, including Nablus, Wafa news agency reported.
Several vehicles and shops in the area were also destroyed and Israeli bullets struck the windows of homes, a mosque and a health clinic, according to Taha al-Irani, head of the camp's popular committee.
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Violent confrontations broke out between camp residents and Israeli troops following the incursion.
Khaled, 21, was transferred to the nearby Thabet Thabet hospital after being shot in the head by Israeli forces. He was declared dead shortly afterwards.
Several others were reportedly wounded by Israeli live bullets during the raid.
Third raid on Nour Shams camp
Nour Shams is home to 13,519 Palestinian refugees officially registered by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, the Unwra. The actual number of inhabitants is likely much higher.
Tuesday's raid was the third incursion into the camp by Israeli forces in the past two months.
According to Irani, it was the worst one yet, with Israeli froces leaving "larger and more comprehensive destruction".
"They destroyed everything, inculding shops and houses of worship," Irani told MEE.
"The military does not differentiate between civilian and non-civilian, they just destroy everything in their way."
According to a tally by Middle East Eye, at least 218 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces this year, including 38 children.
A total of 182 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 30 Israelis in the same period, including six children.
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