Mentally disabled Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in WB

The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that Israeli forces stormed Balata refugee camp and surrounded the house of a wanted resistance fighter, triggering armed confrontations with Palestinians.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Faris Abdul Munim Hashash, 19, was shot by Israeli forces during the clashes. He was brought to Rafidia Surgical Hospital in Nablus with bullet wounds to the chest, abdomen and lower limbs. He was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

Eight other Palestinians were treated for gunshot wounds, including one who was hit in the head, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said.

The Israeli military announced that the military operation was to chase down Issam al-Salaj, a resistance fighter residing in the area.

“The military bombed the house, they damaged it,” Husam Sallaj, Issam’s uncle, told Reuters news agency. He added his nephew was wounded but not captured.

The Palestinian man’s brother, Suhaib Sullaj, stated an Israeli commander rang to demand that Issam turn himself in. “He said, ‘We want to bomb the house. If you don’t leave, we will kill you, Issam, your mother and sisters, the entire family.’”

Local media reported the family’s house was partly destroyed. Furniture, mattresses and children’s toys were seen scattered in one of the rooms. A car parked in a narrow alley near the targeted house was also torched.

Tensions have been running high in the occupied West Bank over the past year, with the Israeli military conducting violent raids under the pretext of detaining what it calls “wanted” Palestinians.

As a result of these attacks, nearly 160 Palestinians, including 28 children, have lost their lives and many others have been arrested in 2023.