MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / September 20, 2023
The 19-year-old was shot dead in an armed raid which saw groups of Palestinians arrested and live fire being used.
A 19-year old Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces early on Wednesday morning in a raid on the occupied West Bank city of Jericho that started on Tuesday evening.
The teenager, who has been identified as Dhargham al-Akhras, succumbed to his wounds after the shooting in the Aqabat Jabr camp.
Al-Akhras was transferred to Jericho Hospital after sustaining a serious head injury as a result of the shooting, where medical staff later pronounced him dead.
According to local media, armed Israeli forces raided the camp and carried out multiple arrests, and clashed with residents, causing at least one injury as a result of live fire.
A funeral was later carried out for Al-Akhras where hundreds of Palestinians marched and chanted for the teenager.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health issued a statement outlining the recent killings in Israeli raids.
“The death toll from yesterday evening, Tuesday, until Wednesday morning, has risen to six, including four killed in Jenin, one in Gaza and one in Jericho.”
The killing of Al-Akhras comes after Israeli forces killed three Palestinians during a drone-assisted assault on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, while one Palestinian man was killed by Israeli forces along the separation fence with the besieged Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army confirmed troops were operating in Jenin on Tuesday evening and said a drone struck the camp, without elaborating.
Israel’s Defence minister, Yoav Gallant, said troops were involved in a “necessary” operation “to thwart terrorist activities”.
Mahmoud Sadi, Jenin director of the Palestinian Red Crescent, reported the “sound of explosives and shooting” which were impeding rescuers’ access to the site of the violence.
This year is shaping up to be one of the bloodiest in the occupied West Bank. According to a tally by Middle East Eye, at least 222 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces this year, including 38 children.
A total of 185 people have died in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Another 37 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Palestinians have killed at least 30 Israelis in the same period, including six children.
