RAMALLAH, Palestine

A 17-year-old Palestinian teen was shot dead by Israeli forces late Thursday in the southern occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed Friday.

The ministry said in a statement that it was notified by the General Authority for Civil Affairs that Yousef Bakr Yousef Zaoul, 17, was killed by Israeli gunfire in the town of Husan in the Bethlehem governorate.

The Israeli military reportedly kept Zaoul’s body following the shooting.

On Thursday evening, the Palestinian Red Crescent said it received reports of two injuries in the vicinity of Husan, but Israeli forces prevented emergency teams from reaching the site and ordered them to leave the area.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that Israeli troops stormed the town and opened fire randomly in its western area amid a heavy military presence and the deployment of Israeli ambulances.

Earlier Friday, the Health Ministry also confirmed the killing of Hussein Jameel Hussein Hardan, 42, by Israeli forces during a pre-dawn raid in Jenin.

Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli forces and illegal settlers have intensified attacks across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, killing more than 944 Palestinians, injuring around 7,000, and arresting over 15,800, according to official Palestinian figures.

The Israeli army has also launched a deadly offensive in the northern West Bank since January, killing more than 70 Palestinians and displacing thousands.

The International Court of Justice declared Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestinian territories illegal in July. It demanded the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.