Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank. AFP
The General Authority for Civil Affairs confirmed the death of 21-year-old Baraa Bilal Issa Qablan, who was shot on Sunday when Israeli forces opened fire on a vehicle near the main northern entrance of the town of Azzun, east of Qalqilya. His body remains held by Israeli authorities.
The attack also killed Momen Nidal Abu Riyash, 19, from Qalqilya, while another passenger, Muhammad Saeed Taha Hussein, was detained.
The shooting came amid a sharp rise in Israeli military and settler violence across the West Bank since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. According to United Nations (UN) figures, Israel has killed at least 1,090 Palestinians and injured over 11,000 in the West Bank during this period, while more than 21,000 have been arrested.
Over 730,000 Israeli settlers live in illegal settlements across the occupied territory, where armed settlers—often backed by Israeli forces—carry out near-daily attacks on Palestinian communities, including arson targeting homes, farms, and olive groves.
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