RAMALLAH, Palestine

The Israeli army on Tuesday gunned down a Palestinian teenager near a military checkpoint in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, claiming he was trying to stab soldiers.

According to Israeli Army Radio, the Palestinian was "neutralized" by gunfire near a military checkpoint at the Deir Sharaf junction northwest of Nablus after attempting to stab reserve soldiers.

Israel typically uses the term "neutralized" to describe military or police brutal actions that kill innocent people, as the radio station in its report said no Israeli soldiers were injured in the incident.

The station did not provide any specific information about the Palestinian's fate, but other Israeli media outlets, including the Srugim and 0404 websites, reported that he was killed on the spot by gunfire.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health later confirmed in a statement that the Palestinian Civil Affairs Authority – the Palestinian body in charge of coordinating with Israel – had informed it of the death of 18-year-old Walid Ashraf Muhammad Hussein as a result of Israeli gunfire near Nablus.

Witnesses told Anadolu that Israeli soldiers at the Deir Sharaf checkpoint opened fire on a young man who was approaching them.

Over the past few years, the Israeli military has conducted regular raids in the West Bank, which have escalated with the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023.

Palestinians have also been violently attacked by illegal Israeli settlers.

At least 780 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,300 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Health Ministry.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land “illegal” and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio