The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that one person was killed and nine others were injured during an Israeli raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The 18-year-old victim, Muhammad Medhat Amin Amer, was shot in the Balata camp in northern West Bank.
The ministry stated that four of the injured are in critical condition. The raid, which began Friday night, sparked violent clashes, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that Israeli troops entered the camp through the Awarta checkpoint and positioned snipers on nearby rooftops.
The Israeli military, in a statement on Saturday, described the operation as a “counterterrorism” effort. It claimed that militants in the area placed explosives to target soldiers, threw explosives, Molotov cocktails, rocks, and shot fireworks at the forces. In response, Israeli troops opened fire on the “terrorists,” reportedly hitting them.
Violence in the West Bank has escalated since the conflict in Gaza began following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah has reported at least 815 Palestinian fatalities in the West Bank, resulting from clashes with Israeli forces or settlers.
During the same period, Palestinian attacks in the West Bank have led to the deaths of at least 25 Israelis, according to official Israeli sources. Israel has maintained control over the West Bank since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
