Al-Jazeera / March 18, 2023
At least 84 Palestinians have been killed so far in 2023, putting this year on track be one of the bloodiest.
Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian man who they claim was approaching them with a knife drawn, the latest killing of a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian health ministry announced the death of Yazan Omar Jamil Khasib, 23, who died “after the occupation [Israeli forces] opened fire on him at the northern entrance of Al-Bireh” city near Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, on Friday.
None of the Israeli forces was harmed.
The Israeli army later said its forces “spotted a suspect and asked him to identify himself”. They claimed the man then drew a knife and Israeli troops opened fire and “neutralized” him, the army said in a statement, adding the killing took place close to Beitin, a Palestinian village near Al-Bireh.
Since the start of this year, at least 84 Palestinians, including children, have been killed by Israeli forces.
On Thursday, at least four Palestinians, including a teenager, were killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. A week earlier, Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in a Jenin raid and, less than 48 hours later, six others were killed in another raid in the same city.
In January, Israeli soldiers killed nine Palestinians, including an elderly woman, during a large-scale operation carried out in the Jenin refugee camp.
Palestinian attacks against Israelis led to the death of 14 people in 2023.
Friday’s killing of the 23-year-old adds to the current round of bloodshed and puts 2023 on track to be one of the worst years for violence in the Palestinian territories for years.
More than 170 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in all of 2022, making last year one the deadliest in the occupied territories since 2004, according to the human rights group B’Tselem.
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Palestinian shot dead by Israeli forces in West Bank
MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / March 17, 2023
Yazan Omar Jamil Khasib, a 23-year-old Palestinian, was shot dead by the Israeli army, north of the city of Ramallah.
A 23-year-old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces on Friday evening, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Yazan Omar Jamil Khasib was shot dead near the Beit El checkpoint, north of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank “after the occupation (Israel) opened fire on him,” according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The Israeli army claimed that Khasib had attempted to stab Israeli soldiers. ”The suspect drew a knife and approached the forces who responded by opening fire,” the army said.
Tensions have been high in Israel and Palestine in recent months, as Israeli attacks in the West Bank intensify and Palestinian resistance grows.
Four Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, including a teenage boy, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Friday’s shootings bring the number of Palestinians killed by Israelis this year to at least 86, including 16 children.
It’s the bloodiest start to a year since 2000, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Palestinians have killed at least 13 Israelis this year.
Fears are growing that there could be a wider outbreak of violence in April when Passover, Easter, and Ramadan all overlap.
CIA director William Burns recently said current tensions in the West Bank bear an “unhappy resemblance” to the Second Intifada.
The threat of an uncontrollable outbreak of violence prompted Jordan, Egypt and the US to initiate de-escalation efforts in recent months, but it remains unclear if they will be able to contain the violence amid continuing Israeli attacks.
