Raid in Ramallah: Israeli operation kills teen, marks significant escalation
In a significant escalation, Israeli forces conducted their most extensive raid into Ramallah, the administrative heart of the Palestinian territories in the occupied West Bank, resulting in the death of a 16-year-old in a refugee camp, according to Palestinian sources on Monday.
Witnesses reported the influx of dozens of Israeli military vehicles into Ramallah, home to the Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed that 16-year-old Mustafa Abu Shalbak was fatally shot by Israeli forces during the operation in the Am'ari refugee camp. The Palestinian news agency WAFA described the incident as a confrontation that erupted when Israeli forces entered the camp, where live ammunition was used against Palestinian youths, causing injuries to Abu Shalbak in the neck and chest.
Amidst a broader surge of violence in the West Bank coinciding with the ongoing Gaza conflict, the region has seen at least 400 Palestinians killed in clashes with Israeli soldiers and settlers. Israeli military operations across the 1967-occupied territories have intensified, including a recent raid in Tulkarm where forces damaged a main road, and in Nablus, where the home of Moaz al-Masri, accused by Israel of a fatal attack against a British-Israeli family last April, was destroyed. Al-Masri was killed by Israeli forces in Nablus in May.
Overnight, Israeli forces detained at least 55 Palestinians across the West Bank, as reported by The Palestinian Prisoners Club. The Israeli military has yet to respond to these incidents.
