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Israel-Palestine war: Israeli forces kill four, including two children, in raid on refugee camp

Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed over 300 Palestinians in the West Bank since 7 October, including 72 children
Rashed Habib al-Aidi, 17 was shot dead by Israeli forces on 18 December (Screengrab/Facebook)
Rashed Habib al-Aidi, 17 was shot dead by Israeli forces on 18 December (Screengrab/Facebook)

Israeli forces shot and killed four Palestinians on Monday, including two children, during a military raid on the al-Faria refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Tubas. 

The Palestinian health ministry said all four died from gunshot wounds, three of them to the head and one in the chest. 

Their names were Rashed Habib al-Aidi, 17, Mohammad Sameer Melhem, 17, Hikmat Sameer Melhem, 24, and Yazan al-Khateeb, 20. 

In video footage shared by local media, the bodies of the Palestinians can be seen taken away on stretchers as emergency services arrived at the scene. 

According to the Red Crescent Society, their teams received at least seven wounded people to be treated, who had serious wounds due to being shot at with live ammunition in the chest and head. 

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Local media reports state that Israeli forces called for military reinforcements into the camp, resulting in confrontations.

The camp was surrounded by Israeli forces who entered through the al-Hamra checkpoint and were heavily armed.

On Saturday, three Palestinians were also killed by Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank, the health ministry said.

The figure included a 20-year-old from the town of Beit Ummar, a 25-year-old in the city of Tulkarm, and a 16-year-old in the town of Deir Ammar, Ramallah.

Jenin faces onslaught

Last week, an Israeli drone attack on the West Bank city of Jenin killed four Palestinians and wounded five others. Dozens of Israeli military vehicles, accompanied by bulldozers, stormed Jenin at dawn, sparking a firefight with Palestinian fighters.

Israeli forces tore up the streets and destroyed many buildings, smashing through the fronts of shops, Arab48 reported.

Yacoub Abdullah, a resident of Jenin's Sibat neighbourhood, told Middle East Eye that he was sitting with his friends near the main street when they heard the sound of a huge explosion.

Since the start of the war on Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed at least 18,700 Palestinians, there has been a dramatic uptick in killings and military raids in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed more than 300 Palestinians in the West Bank since 7 October, including 72 children. 

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