Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank Raid, Palestinians Say

A picture taken from the Palestinian village of Baita south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, shows Israeli security forces in the settlement outpost of Eviatar nearby, on February 3, 2023. (AFP)
A picture taken from the Palestinian village of Baita south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, shows Israeli security forces in the settlement outpost of Eviatar nearby, on February 3, 2023. (AFP)
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Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank Raid, Palestinians Say

A picture taken from the Palestinian village of Baita south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, shows Israeli security forces in the settlement outpost of Eviatar nearby, on February 3, 2023. (AFP)
A picture taken from the Palestinian village of Baita south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, shows Israeli security forces in the settlement outpost of Eviatar nearby, on February 3, 2023. (AFP)

Israeli forces killed a 17-year-old Palestinian boy on Tuesday during a raid in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The teenager, Hamzeh al-Ashkar, was shot in the face by Israeli soldiers who raided the northern city of Nablus at around dawn, the ministry said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The Den of Lions, a group of Nablus fighters with loose factional affiliations, said some of its members exchanged fire with Israeli forces who had "stormed a housing area".

The group said the teenager who was killed was from the Askar refugee camp near Nablus but did not say he was a group member.

Also early on Tuesday, Israeli forces arrested at least 18 Palestinians in the northern West Bank town of Burqin near Jenin, the Palestinian Prisoners Club advocacy group said.

The operations come during a time of heightened tensions that have drawn fears of a further escalation in violence.

On Jan. 27, a Palestinian gunman killed seven Israelis near a synagogue in East Jerusalem, a day after an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin in which 10 Palestinians including eight gunmen were killed.

The Palestinian health ministry said at least 42 Palestinians, civilians and gunmen, have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers since Jan. 1.

Israel says the raids are a security measure targeting suspected gunmen. Palestinians consider the raids a form of collective punishment and say they are fighting against decades of Israeli occupation.

The violence has prompted calls for calm on both sides from the United States and international organizations including the United Nations.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.