Israeli forces kill, injure and arrest many Palestinians every day in numerous raids in the occupied territories.
The United Nations has renewed its call for an end to violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Volker Turk said in a statement released Tuesday that in addition to the number of deaths in the Gaza Strip, “residents of the occupied West Bank are also subjected to an unprecedented bloodbath day after day.” The UN human rights chief’s comments come as the Israeli army and settlers carry out new attacks on the territory.
“Widespread impunity for such crimes has been commonplace for far too long in the occupied West Bank,” he said, adding that this has created an environment ripe for more “unlawful killings” by Israeli forces.
According to Turk, Israeli forces shot and killed Ahmed Ashraf Hamidat, 16, on June 1, and seriously injured Mohammed Musa al-Bitar, 17, who died a day later, near the Aqabat Jaber refugee camp in Jericho.
They were shot in the back from a distance of about 70 meters as they fled after throwing stones or Molotov cocktails at a military post in the occupied Palestinian territory, he said.
The war in Gaza has led to a wave of violence and arrests in the West Bank. At least 505 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank since the October 7 attacks on Israel, according to data confirmed by the UN. Data shows 24 Israelis were killed.
A tally from the Palestinian Prisoners Society reports the arrest of 9,025 people during the same period, including 300 women and 635 children. Many of those released have reported being tortured and ill-treated while in detention.
Renewed violence
At the time Turk’s statement was released, there were reports of renewed violence and arrests in the West Bank.
Tel Aviv Tribune journalists on the ground confirmed that Israeli forces shot dead two Palestinian men from Tulkarem on Tuesday, with the army saying they were about to carry out an armed attack.
Three other Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid on Nablus.
The Wafa news agency reported Tuesday afternoon that 22 Palestinians, including former detainees, had been arrested since dawn.
The arrests, accompanied by searches and threats against the families of the detainees, took place in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus, Salfit, Tubas, Jericho and East Jerusalem.
For the second day in a row, Israeli forces also imposed a blockade on Jericho.
Meanwhile, in Ein Samiya, east of Ramallah, Israeli settlers stole 120 sheep belonging to a Palestinian citizen in the latest attack on farmers, according to a Wafa report citing a security source.
