Palestinian teenager killed by Israeli army in Qalqilya

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank town of Qalqilya on Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

Naeem Abdullah Samha, 15, was killed “by the bullets of the occupation (the Israeli army)” in Qalqilya, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah said in a statement.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafaciting local sources, reported that Samha was shot in the chest.

He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead from his injuries. Wafa said, which gave no reason for the shooting.

Israeli forces regularly carry out raids in the West Bank, notably in Qalqilya. Incursions into the occupied territory have intensified since the start of the Israeli war in Gaza on October 7.

Since then, at least 547 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli army and settlers in the occupied territories, and more than 8,000 Palestinians have also been arrested.

Earlier Thursday, at the entrance to Qalqilya, a 78-year-old Israeli man was carjacked by several suspects and later died from his injuries, Israeli police said.

It is unclear whether the two incidents in the area were related.

The West Bank. occupied by Israel since 1967, is home to approximately 490,000 Israeli settlers who live in communities considered illegal under international law.