Mourners carry the body of 42-year-old Palestinian Hussein Hardan during his funeral in Jenin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. AFP
In Husan, a village west of Bethlehem, Mayor Jamal Sabateen said Israeli soldiers opened fire on youths who were throwing stones.
“The Israeli army opened fire on them – killed one and injured another. The army took them, and up until now, they haven’t been returned,” Sabateen told AFP.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the young man as Yussef Zaoul, saying he was killed “by Israeli gunfire”.
In a separate incident, the ministry reported that 42-year-old Hussein Hardan was shot dead in Jenin at dawn. His body was transferred to the local government hospital. According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Hardan’s death brought the number of Palestinians killed in Jenin and its refugee camp since the launch of a large-scale Israeli military campaign in January to 36.
The Israeli army said on Thursday that its troops, along with the Israeli Security Agency and police forces, were continuing operations in the northern West Bank.
On Saturday, around a dozen armed settlers raided the Palestinian village of Tuba in the South Hebron Hills. Residents said the settlers carried out a coordinated attack intended to pressure Palestinians to abandon their land.
The raid followed another attack last week in the northern West Bank village of Duma, where around 50 settlers reportedly assaulted residents, torched property, and injured three Palestinians.
After the Duma rampage, Defense Minister Israel Katz refused to label the violence as terrorism. “I don’t define this as ‘terror.’ This is my perspective,” he said.
The United Nations Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Friday that the ongoing Israeli campaign in the West Bank has caused the most significant displacement of Palestinians since the 1967 Middle East war.
“It [the Israeli campaign] has resulted in systematic destruction, forced displacement, and demolition orders affecting Palestinian families and refugee camps,” the agency said on social media platform X. “The situation remains highly concerning.”
According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli forces and settlers have killed at least 917 Palestinians in the West Bank, including fighters, since 7 October 2023.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the occupation violates international law and called on Israel to dismantle its settlements and end its presence in the territory.
Fatah delegation visits Cairo
In Cairo, Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty met with a visiting Fatah delegation and reaffirmed Egypt’s rejection of Israeli efforts to separate Gaza from the West Bank or displace Palestinians.
The delegation, led by Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub, included Rawhi Fattouh, President of the Palestinian National Council, and Mohammad Shtayyeh, former Palestinian Prime Minister. The officials travelled to Cairo to assess the escalation of Israeli violence in Gaza and the West Bank.
Abdelatty said Israel’s reliance on military force would only deepen regional instability. He condemned Israel’s continuing aggression in both territories, describing its conduct as “extremist practices against civilians” and accusing it of acting as a state “above the law”.
“Illusions of power will not bring Israel the security it imagines,” he said.
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