Teenager martyred as Israeli troops raid towns in West Bank escalation

A Palestinian teenager has been martyred by Israeli forces during early morning raids on towns in the occupied West Bank, where a ferocious campaign is underway in parallel with the ongoing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.

During the incursions, Israeli soldiers drove through the towns of Beit Rima near Ramallah and Azzun near Qalqilya in military vehicles and raided several homes, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Osaid Tareq al-Rimawi, 17, succumbed to a serious gunshot wound to the chest after Israeli troops stormed the town of Beit Rima, in the early hours of Friday, medical sources said.

Seven others were injured and transported to Martyr Yasser Arafat Governmental Hospital in Salfit, they added.

Locals said Israeli troops broke into multiple homes, vandalized the doors of some commercial establishments, and destroyed a local café during the incursion.

Elsewhere in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, at least two Palestinians were wounded by live rounds during an Israeli military incursion into Balata refugee camp early on Friday.

Local sources said violent confrontations broke out between young Palestinians and Israeli soldiers as the latter rolled into the camp onboard several military vehicles. A D9 bulldozer accompanied the forces.

The sources noted that the Israeli soldiers raided several homes in the camp, and violently ransacked them. No arrests were reported.

During the raid, Israeli forces deliberately destroyed infrastructure in al-Madares Street, besides several alleys in the camp.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced in a statement that Israeli forces directly fired shots at ambulances, preventing paramedic teams from reaching the injured in the camp.

Israel has ramped up its aggression in the West Bank since its bombardment of Gaza began in early October. More than 320 Palestinians have been martyred by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since October 7 when Israel waged the genocidal war on Gaza after Hamas carried out a historic operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

SS