‘Israel’ Martyrs Child, Youth In West Bank

By Staff, Agencies

Two Palestinians, including a child and a youth were shot during an "Israeli" occupation forces [IOF] raid in Qabatiya near Jenin, were martyred in cold blood.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the martyr as 20-year-old Mahdi Ahmad Kmeil, who was fatally wounded when the IOF opened fire after storming the town.

Witnesses said "Israeli" infantry units had earlier deployed across Qabatiya’s streets, searching several homes and detaining one Palestinian before the fatal shooting occurred.

Earlier, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy, Mohammad Bahjat al-Hallaq, was martyred after being shot by the IOF in the town of al-Rihiya, south of al-Khalil in the occupied West Bank.

According to local sources, al-Hallaq sustained critical injuries when the IOF opened live fire on a group of children playing football at the playground of al-Rihiya Girls’ Secondary School.

Witnesses said the forces deliberately targeted the children, and al-Hallaq was targeted by a bullet that pierced his pelvis. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition, but later succumbed to his wounds.

Shortly after the shooting, "Israeli" invading units fired tear gas grenades during a raid on al-Rihiya village, spreading panic among residents and students in nearby homes and schools.

Elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, confrontations erupted in several towns as "Israeli" raids continued. In Qabatiya, south of Jenin, the IOF opened fire with live ammunition, injuring one young man and detaining another.

In Beit Furik, east of Nablus, the IOF raided Palestinian homes and damaged property, prompting confrontations with the residents.

Meanwhile, in Qalqilya, the IOF intensified their campaign in the village of Kafr Qaddum, raiding homes and firing tear gas canisters, while in the Ainun area east of Tubas, the IOF carried out additional raids, intimidating and harassing Palestinians.

Local observers say the latest "Israeli" targeting of a child underscores a pattern of escalating "Israeli" aggression across the occupied West Bank, where regular raids, arrests, and deadly shootings have become daily occurrences.

The recent ceasefire in Gaza, which includes the return of captives and the entry of humanitarian aid, has been met with cautious optimism. While many have welcomed the truce, observers warn against complacency.

However, Daniel C. Kurtzer a former US ambassador to Egypt and "Israel", and Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace state in an analysis for Foreign Policy Magazine that despite the deal’s potential to bring a measure of relief to Palestinians in Gaza, attention is now shifting to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the West Bank.

Brokered with the involvement of US President Donald Trump’s administration, the ceasefire marks a diplomatic achievement that had been in discussion for over a year. But the writers note that it risks being overshadowed by intensifying violence and territorial shifts taking place beyond Gaza.

In the months leading up to the Palestinian Resistance's October 7 operation, conditions in the West Bank had already been deteriorating. What began as warnings of a possible third Intifada has since escalated into widespread unrest.

The analysts say that since October 2023, the number of "Israeli" settlement outposts has surged. An additional 114 outposts have been established, adding to the 190 already present. These new structures, whether residential or agricultural, have led to increased land grabs, with approximately 13,600 acres of Palestinian land stolen through designations such as "state land" and military seizure orders. At least 68 agricultural sites have also received full infrastructure support.

Meanwhile, 11 previously unauthorized outposts have been retroactively legalized by the Zionist entity. 

The writers say the aggressive pace of settlement expansion has not only fueled Palestinian anger but also undercut prospects for any meaningful peace.