A 14-year-old Palestinian youth has died after being shot by the Israel Army during a new incursion in the West Bank locality of Burqa, near Nablús, in northern West Bank. Palestinian authorities have denounced the incident, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said that the soldiers opened fire against “terrorists” who “were planning to throw stones” at vehicles traveling through the area.
The Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health has reported that the minor, identified as Mutaz Iyad Daqlas, has died after being “shot by the occupation forces.” For its part, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA has said that the deceased person’s father, Iyad Daqlas, has been arrested along with another person during the same operation.
In a statement circulated on social media, the Israeli Army has explained that the incident occurred as part of “operational activity” by its personnel “to prevent stone-throwing from terrorist incidents” in the vicinity of Burqa.
According to the military note, the troops “identified several terrorists who intended to throw stones toward a highway on which Israeli vehicles travel,” which would have prompted them to open fire against the alleged suspects. According to information from WAFA, two Palestinians aged 17 and 19 have been injured by gunshot impact.
The raid takes place in a context of increased attacks by Israeli settlers and of the Israel Army’s military operations in the West Bank following the attacks of October 7, 2023. Nevertheless, already in the months prior to that year, the highest number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank since the Second Intifada—fate two decades earlier—had been recorded.