Israeli forces kill Palestinian youth near Ramallah
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The Israeli occupation forces kill a Palestinian near Ramallah and injure and arrest a child while the Israeli regime greenlights settlement expansion.
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A Palestinian Red Crescent vehicle evacuates residents of the Tulkarm refugee camp who returned to collect belongings before the destruction of their homes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Tulkarm, Thursday, May 29, 2025. (AP)
A Palestinian youth was martyred on Monday evening after the Israeli occupation forces shot him near the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, under the pretext that he had pelted the vehicles of settlers with stones, Al Mayadeen correspondent reported.
In the same area, Israeli troops also shot and injured a Palestinian child before detaining him. Witnesses say the child was unarmed at the time of the attack.
Following the incident, Israeli forces raided the nearby home of citizen Ayed Ghafari, seizing surveillance camera footage in an apparent attempt to cover up the circumstances of the killing.
According to the Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission, the Israeli occupation and settlers committed a total of 1,693 assaults across the occupied West Bank in April alone. Of these, 1,352 were perpetrated directly by the occupation forces, while 341 were carried out by settlers.
Escalatory settlement expansion
Meanwhile, the Israeli regime has formally approved the construction of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, as part of a far-reaching settlement expansion plan spearheaded by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Israel Katz.
Israeli media reported that the settlement initiative reflects a “long-term strategic vision” to entrench occupation control over the territory, prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and create land reserves to support settlement expansion for decades to come.
The decision, which was reportedly made two weeks ago, includes plans to re-establish the illegal settlements of Homesh and Sa-Nur, both dismantled during the 2005 unilateral “disengagement plan” from the Gaza Strip. The settlements are to be built in the region "Israel" refers to as “Judea and Samaria,” a biblical designation for the West Bank rejected by international bodies.
The re-establishment of Homesh and Sa-Nur represents a symbolic and strategic move by the Israeli government. Both sites were previously evacuated under a disengagement policy that saw "Israel" withdraw settlers from Gaza while retaining control over its airspace, maritime access, and borders.
Palestinian Authority condemns the escalation
The Palestinian presidency strongly condemned the approval, calling it “a dangerous escalation that drags the region into a cycle of violence and instability.”
Presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the decision “represents a serious escalation and a challenge to international legitimacy and international law.”
He added, “The Israeli government's secret approval to establish 22 new settlements in the West Bank, including East al-Quds,” defies legal norms and the international consensus.
The secret approval comes amid a broader push by "Israel" to expand its occupation of Palestinian territories. On May 12, the Israeli Cabinet authorized the resumption of land registration procedures in so-called Area C, the part of the West Bank that remains under full Israeli occupation and constitutes approximately 61% of the territory.
