On Friday, as mourners gathered for the funeral of a Palestinian man slain by Israeli soldiers during a raid in the occupied West Bank, his family confirmed the news.
According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, 23-year-old Mahmoud Jihad Jarad was shot and killed by soldiers during a nocturnal raid on the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern West Bank.
Iyad Abdulrahim Jarad, a family member, told AFP that his relative had been shot by Israeli forces after they had entered the camp.
Since 1967, Israel has illegally occupied the West Bank, and its forces routinely invade Palestinian towns and cities.
The military claimed “suspects blocked routes and fired toward the soldiers, who responded with live fire” during the raid.
The army released a statement claiming troops were attacked with explosive devices, rocks, and pyrotechnics.
You may also be interested in reading: Pakistan demands that Israel be punished for its “crimes” in occupied Palestine.
A funeral procession was held, with the body of Jarad draped in a Palestinian flag and his head covered with a keffiyeh.
Since the beginning of this year, 214 Palestinians have been slain in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to a total obtained by AFP from official sources on both sides, there have also been about 28 Israeli deaths, along with one Ukrainian and one Italian.
There are three members of Israel’s Arab minority among them, and they range from fighters to civilians on the Palestinian side.
