Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli military in Qalqiliya

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank city of Qalqilya on Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Fifteen-year-old Naeem Abdullah Samha was killed in Qalqilya “by bullets from the occupying forces (Israeli army),” the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah said in a statement.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafareported, citing local sources, that Samha was shot in the chest.

He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead due to his injuries. Wafa said, giving no reason for the shooting.

Israeli forces regularly carry out raids in the West Bank, including in Qalqiliya. Incursions into the occupied territories have increased since the start of the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip on October 7.

Since then, at least 547 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and settlers in the occupied territories, and more than 8,000 Palestinians have been arrested.

In another incident at the entrance to Qalqilya early Thursday, a 78-year-old Israeli was carjacked by several suspects and later succumbed to his injuries, Israeli police said.

It is unclear whether there is a connection between the two incidents in the area.

In the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967, about 490,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements that are considered illegal under international law.