A Palestinian was killed Friday in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces who said the man pulled out a knife, a death bringing to 100 the number of people killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the start of 2023.
A 23-year-old Palestinian man identified as Yazan Omar Jamil Khasib died “after the occupying forces (Israel) opened fire on him at the northern entrance to the city of Al-Bireh”, near Ramallah, in occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a statement.
86 Palestinians and 12 civilians killed
The Israeli army said for its part that “soldiers spotted a suspect and asked him to identify himself. The suspect pulled out a knife and approached the (Israeli) forces who responded by firing. “The assailant has been neutralized,” she added in a statement, adding that the incident took place near Beitin, a Palestinian village not far from Al-Bireh, and that no soldier had been injured.
The West Bank is a Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 by Israel. Since the beginning of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 86 Palestinians (including members of armed groups and civilians, including minors), 12 civilians (including three minors) and one Israeli policeman, as well than a Ukrainian, according to an AFP tally compiled from official Israeli and Palestinian sources.