Israeli forces shoot and kill 20-year-old Palestinian man near Qalqilya

Israeli forces shot dead a young Palestinian man in the West Bank town of Azzun on Saturday night, the latest incident in a series of deadly Israeli attacks in the occupied territory which have intensified since the beginning of this year.

20-year-old Ayed Azzam Salim was shot in the chest and abdomen and died shortly after, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Israeli forces stormed Azzun, east of Qalqilya, clashing with the town’s residents before firing at Palestinian men who were demonstrating against Israeli violence in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.

#صورة الشهيد عايد عزام سليم الذي أستشهد متأثراً بإصابته برصاص جيش الاحتلال عند مدخل بلدة عزون شرق قلقيلية. pic.twitter.com/2g5MzgD0IE

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) April 8, 2023

Azzun mayor Ahmed Inaya told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the 20-year-old was at his workplace at the town’s entrance, when Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian youths.

Salim was critically injured immediately after the shooting, and was then taken to Darwish Nazzal Hospital in Qalqilya where he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Israeli troops also hurled tear gas cannisters and sound bombs at the Palestinian demonstrators, local sources told the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The young man’s death sparked outrage in Azzun, which lead to further clashes between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinian residents in the West Bank town.

Israeli forces then proceeded to close the town’s main entrance, hindering the residents’ movement to and from the town, Wafa added.

Azzun was the site of another Palestinian death last month, when Israeli forces shot and killed 15-year-old Mohammad Nidal Salim in the back, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Two other Palestinians were wounded in the incident, including a child who was in critical condition.

The violence in Azzun comes as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound was subjected to brutal Israeli raids  earlier this week. Israeli soldiers stormed the holy site in east Jerusalem on Tuesday and Wednesday, assaulting and detaining hundreds of Palestinian worshippers.

The raids drew widespread international condemnation.

Since the start of the holy month, Israeli troops have tried to stop Palestinian worshippers from spending nights in the mosque to perform itikaf - a religious practice where Muslims spend long periods of time in mosques to devote themselves to worship.

Israeli raids on the West Bank, which began in March 2022, have intensified ever since Benjamin Netanyahu came back to power in November 2022 at the head of a coalition including extreme-right ministers who have previously made violently racist statements against Palestinians.

At least 96 Palestinians have been killed so far this year, amid fears that this number will increase.