A 23-year-old Palestinian man with learning difficulties was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces during a raid in the West Bank. According to health officials and eyewitness accounts, the incident occurred on Friday evening in the town of Beit Awa, located southwest of Hebron.
The funeral of Palestinian Muhammad Al-Masalma, who was shot and killed by Israeli occupation forces yesterday in the town of Bayt Awa, Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. pic.twitter.com/7owSXexS5n
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) December 14, 2024
The Israeli occupation forces reportedly stormed the town and surrounded a paint shop. During the raid, the young man, identified as Muhammad Ahmad Masalma, tried to flee in fear but was shot by the Israeli troops. Witnesses stated that Masalma suffered serious gunshot wounds and was rushed to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The Director of Dura Governmental Hospital, Muhammad Rabi, confirmed that Masalma was brought to the emergency department with critical wounds to the chest.
In addition to Masalma’s killing, the Israeli occupation forces also arrested his cousin, Thabet Masalma, inside the paint shop. Another local resident, Mithaq Masalma, was also detained during the incursion.
Elsewhere in the Old City of Hebron, Israeli occupation troops were reported to have assaulted and detained a young Palestinian man. Local activist Aref Jaber expressed grave concerns about the escalating violence by Israeli forces and illegal settlers against Palestinian residents in the area.
This incident comes amid a concerning rise in casualties in the West Bank, as a result of the intensified near-daily Israeli raids into villages and cities in the occupied territories. Since the start of the war on Gaza in early October 2023, at least 812 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli occupation forces or extremist Zionist settlers, with over 6,450 more wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Source: Agencies (edited and translated by Al-Manar English Website)
