Palestinian Killed by Israeli Army Gunfire in Tulkarm; Clashes Erupt

TULKARM: At least one Palestinian was killed and another injured on Saturday by Israeli army fire in Tulkarm, located in the northern West Bank, local sources report. The violence unfolded as Israeli forces besieged and shelled a residential building in the area, leading to clashes with armed Palestinian fighters.

According to Anadolu Agency, the official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the deceased as Islam Odah. The agency reported that Israeli occupation forces killed Odah after they surrounded and targeted a residential building in the eastern al-Salam neighborhood of Tulkarm. Eyewitnesses corroborated these claims, stating that Israeli military reinforcements, including bulldozers, were deployed to the scene, and at least one Energashell was fired at an apartment within the building.

Eyewitnesses further noted that clashes erupted inside the apartment before the Israeli forces left the area with the body of the deceased. During the operation, a military bulldozer reportedly began demolishing pa
rts of the building. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirmed that its teams treated a gunshot wound to the leg of a Palestinian injured by live ammunition during confrontations with Israeli forces in Harat Al-Salam.

According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, there were allegations that Israeli soldiers summoned the parents of one of the young men inside the besieged apartment, allegedly using them as human shields to compel their son to surrender. In a related development, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, stated that their fighters targeted Israeli forces in the al-Salam neighborhood and at the entrance to the Tulkarm refugee camp with heavy gunfire.

The Israeli army has conducted frequent raids in the West Bank in recent years, with operations intensifying since last October’s escalation of conflict in Gaza. The Palestinian Health Ministry reports that since the start of the Gaza conflict, at least 760 Palestinians have been killed and around 6,300 injured by Israeli arm
y fire in the West Bank. The current escalation follows a July opinion by the International Court of Justice, which declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal and called for the evacuation of all Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.