Israeli forces kill five Palestinians in three days

Israeli forces kill five Palestinians in three days
The latest victim was 9th grader Mohammad Makhlouf, who was on his way back home in the nearby village of Burqin after visiting his grandfather.
3 min read
West Bank
07 November, 2022
According to the UN, 2022 could be the deadliest year for Palestinians since 2005. [Qassam Muaddi/TNA]

Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and wounded another late on Sunday, near the village of Senjil, east of Ramallah, totalling five Palestinians killed by Israel in three days. 

The Palestinian ministry of health identified the latest victim as 18-year-old Musaab Nafal, from the town of Mazraa Sharqiyah, east of Ramallah.

According to his family, Musaab Nafal had recently finished high school and worked at a gas station. He was the youngest of four brothers.

"Musaab was out with his friends, who called me and said that the occupation army had shot at them and that he was wounded," his older brother told The New Arab.

"When we arrived at the hospital in Ramallah, we were told that Musaab had already passed away," the brother added. "We still don't know the circumstances of the incident, and the family is still in shock because of the loss."

Israeli media quoted the Israeli army spokesperson claiming that Nafal and another young Palestinian were 'ambushed' by Israeli forces as they were about to throw stones on an Israeli road.

Musaab Nafal is the fifth Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in three days. On Thursday, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in Jenin and a fourth Palestinian in the village of Beit Duqu near Ramallah.

"The occupation forces surprisingly raided Jenin in broad daylight after localizing Farouq Salameh, who was making preparations for his wedding," Jamal Hweil, an activist and resident of Jenin, said to TNA.

"While the occupation forces were going after Farouq Salameh they were randomly shooting their way into the camp and killed a 14-year-old child," described Hweil.

The victim was 9th grader Mohammad Makhlouf, who was on his way back home in the nearby village of Burqin after visiting his grandfather, his mother told Palestinian media.

ِAlso on Thursday, Israeli forces shot and killed Daoud Rayan, 42 years old, while raiding the village of Beit Duqu near Ramallah. Rayan was shot in the chest, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

Hours later, Israeli forces shot and killed Habes Rayan, also from Beit Duqu, at a military checkpoint near the village of Beit Our, west of Ramallah.

The recent killings arrive amid an ongoing escalation of Israeli raids in the West Bank that has claimed the lives of more than 160 Palestinians since the beginning of the year.

Last week, the UN said that 2022 could be the deadliest year for Palestinians since the UN started tracking fatalities in 2005.

"Mounting hopelessness, anger and tension have once again erupted into a deadly cycle of violence that is increasingly difficult to contain," said Tor Wenessland, the UN coordinator for the Middle East.