Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Man at West Bank Checkpoint
Jerusalem: Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man at a military checkpoint in the northern West Bank, according to both the Israeli army and Palestinian officials.
The Israeli military said the man, described as a “terrorist,” approached troops near the village of Burin, southwest of Nablus, and threw a suspicious object. He allegedly ignored soldiers’ instructions, prompting them to open fire as part of what the army described as a “standard arrest procedure.” No Israeli soldiers were injured.
Palestine’s official WAFA news agency identified the man as Ahmed Abdel Fattah Shahadeh, 57, from Urif in the Nablus Governorate. Ahmed Ameed, director of the Red Crescent Ambulance and Emergency Centre in Nablus, said ambulance crews were dispatched after reports of gunfire but were blocked from reaching Shahadeh.
In a separate statement, the Israeli army reported that over the past week it had arrested 70 Palestinians, seized rifles and pistols, and destroyed explosive devices in several West Bank villages.
The West Bank and East Jerusalem, home to around 3.3 million Palestinians, host more than 720,000 Israeli settlers. Israel captured these territories during the 1967 Middle East war and has since established settlements, which are widely considered illegal under international law.
Palestinians frequently face beatings, searches, and other restrictions at military checkpoints. According to the Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission (CWRC), there are currently 898 permanent and temporary Israeli barriers and checkpoints in the West Bank, including over 156 iron gates installed after October 2023. In August alone, the commission documented around 1,613 violations by the Israeli army and settlers, including 431 attacks by settlers.
Following the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, settlement expansion, home demolitions, and forced displacement have intensified in the West Bank. Palestinian officials warn that such measures further jeopardize the prospects of a two-state solution.
