Palestinian killed as tensions with Israeli forces spiral in West Bank
Jerusalem, Jan 15 (EFE).- A Palestinian was shot and killed amid clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank, officials said Sunday, as a months-long wave of violence showed no signs of abating.
Ahmad Kahla, 45, was shot in the eastern town of Silwad and succumbed to his critical gunshot wounds in a nearby hospital, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli forces opened fire on Kahla after clashing with him verbally and forcing him out of his vehicle.
The Palestinian ministry of foreign affairs, meanwhile, condemned “in the strongest terms the heinous crime of execution committed by the occupying forces” of Israel.
Kahla’s death comes as “part of the series of daily crimes committed by the occupation forces against Palestinian citizens, according to the political instructions of the occupying state that make it easier for soldiers to kill any Palestinian without posing any danger,” the ministry added.
The Israeli army has not yet commented on the incident.
A total of 13 Palestinians have been killed in clashes with Israeli troops since the start of 2023.
On Saturday, two Palestinian men, aged 23 and 24, were killed in clashes in the West Bank, while 19-year-old Yazan Samer died of wounds he sustained during confrontations with Israeli soldiers two weeks ago.
There have been intense Israeli raids and armed clashes with Palestinians, especially since late March last year when Israel launched a military operation it calls “Breaking the Wave” in response to a wave of attacks by Palestinians on Israeli soil.
Since then, violence has been on the rise, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The fatalities have mostly been militants, but also include children and civilians such as Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh.EFE
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