Israeli security forces shot dead late Wednesday a Palestinian man near the separation fence on the outskirts of the West Bank city of Jenin, Palestinian officials said.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a message on its Facebook social network account that the man, Rafaat Ali Abdullah Isa, 29, «was shot dead by the Israeli occupation in western Jenin.»
The head of the Palestinian Red Crescent Ambulance Service, Mahmud Saadi, the man was wounded in the leg near the separation fence in the village of Anin, after which he was detained by Israeli forces.
He stressed that the man was taken to a military camp in the area before being handed over to the Red Crescent, which transferred him in critical condition to a hospital in Jenin where he died shortly afterwards, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
For its part, the Israeli Army said that the man was located while «sabotaging» the fence and added that «the forces initiated a suspect arrest procedure that included shooting», without commenting on whether the man was armed or tried to cross the fence, as reported by the newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.
The event took place hours after the death of a Palestinian teenager shot by Israeli forces in the vicinity of Joseph’s Tomb, located near the West Bank city of Nablus, following an attack on a group of Jews visiting the area, including Israeli parliamentarians.
According to WAFA reports, Israeli forces have killed 200 Palestinians so far this year, including 144 in the West Bank and East Jerusalem – including 50 in the Jenin area – more than 50 in the Gaza Strip and four in Israel.
Tensions have increased in recent months in the West Bank following recent attacks on Israelis, which have left nearly 20 dead. In addition, Israeli security forces have arrested nearly 2,000 suspects in numerous raids in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
