Israeli occupation forces kill youth, escalate West Bank violence
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Israeli forces kill a Palestinian near Jenin, settlers attack civilians, and a child is sentenced in al-Quds as violations surge across the occupied West Bank.
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Mourners carry the bodies of martyred Palestinians during their funeral in the West Bank village of al-Mazraa a-Sharqiya on Sunday, July 13, 2025 (AP)
The Israeli occupation continues its widespread violations across the occupied West Bank, resulting in the killing of a young Palestinian and the escalation of settler and military aggression in multiple areas, including Jenin, Beit Lahm, Ramallah, and al-Quds.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed on Monday the martyrdom of Yusuf Walid Sheikh Ibrahim, a young man from the town of Kafr Rai, who was killed during an armed confrontation with Israeli occupation forces near the illegal settlement of Mavo Dotan, southwest of Jenin. The occupation forces also seized his body, refusing to hand it over to his family.
Settler violence in Beit Lahm, Ramallah
In a separate incident, Israeli settlers brutally assaulted 60-year-old Abdul Mahdi Matar in the village of al-Minya, southeast of Beit Lahm, according to local council head Zayed Kawazba. The elderly man sustained injuries to his face and hand after being beaten with clubs by the settlers.
Just days earlier, 23-year-old Seifeddine Musallat from al-Mazraa al-Sharqiya was killed after a group of settlers severely beat him in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah.
Palestinian child sentenced to 4 years in prison
Meanwhile, in occupied al-Quds, the Israeli occupation sentenced 15-year-old Abdullah Abu Diyab from Silwan to four years in prison, following his arrest in May 2024. The sentence was handed down after the child spent nearly 14 months in Israeli custody.
According to the Prisoners’ Media Office, since October 7, 2023, the occupation has issued 161 house arrest orders against Palestinian children from al-Quds, reflecting a sharp increase in the targeting of minors.
The office also noted that there are currently 2,464 detainees from al-Quds in Israeli prisons, including a large number of minors.
Eyewitnesses reported that dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the courtyards of al-Aqsa Mosque under heavy protection from occupation forces. The daily provocations at the holy site come as part of a broader campaign of settler-led escalation in the occupied city.
Ben-Gvir establishes settler-run police force
Israeli far-right Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has established a new police unit consisting of armed settlers who are operating illegally, according to the Anadolu agency, with analysts suggesting this step could further entrench "Israel's" de facto "annexation" of the occupied West Bank.
The far-right minister announced the decision during a ceremony on Wednesday at the Ibrahimi Mosque in al-Khalil, located in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
According to a police statement released on Thursday, the newly formed "First Response Unit," composed of more than 100 illegal settlers from Israeli settlements, will operate under the West Bank police division with the alleged aim of delivering "rapid and effective emergency response," improving "personal security," and assisting in "fighting crime" in the area.
Ben-Gvir referred to the settlers in the unit as an "inseparable part of society," commending their ability to deliver "quick responses in the field," while framing the initiative as an expression of "real sovereignty and practical Zionism," a statement widely interpreted as advancing "Israel's" broader objective of annexing the West Bank.
