Israeli forces kill Palestinian youth in occupied West Bank

Israeli occupation forces killed a Palestinian youth at dawn on Wednesday in Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank. The incident took place while Israeli forces carried out an arrest raid in the camp, firing sound grenades and tear gas, which provoked clashes with Palestinian youths in the area.

Izziddin Bani-Gharra, aged 21, was hit by two bullets in the chest and the arm. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the public hospital in Jenin.

The refugee camp in Jenin was considered to be the epicentre of the Second Intifada, which erupted in 2000. It earned a reputation as a hub for Palestinian resistance activity. The Israelis carried out a major offensive in the camp in 2002, leaving at least 50 Palestinians dead and hundreds more wounded.

Bani-Gharra is the twelfth Palestinian to be killed by Israeli occupation forces in occupied East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza since the start of this year, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. More than 900 have been wounded, excluding those injured as a result of settler violence.

Search and arrest raids are routine for the Israeli occupation forces; there have been an average of 86 raids a week this year, up from 75 a week in 2014, according to the May report issued by the UN Special Coordinator. These raids often result in what rights groups argue is the excessive use of force by Israeli occupation forces against local Palestinians, who usually throw rocks and empty bottles at the soldiers.