Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Near Hebron After Four-Day Operation, UN Inquiry Finds Settler Shielding

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian near Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, saying Ramzi Abdel Hakim al-Awawda was killed near the crossroads of the village of Kharsa southwest of Hebron.

“Occupied West Bank: Israeli army withdraws from Hebron after a four-day operation”

Anadolu Ajansı

WAFA said he was seriously wounded and remained on the ground unable to be evacuated, and that anonymous sources cited by the agency reported Israeli troops confiscated the ambulance keys and then held his body before he reportedly died from his injuries.

Anadolu Ajansı

In a separate development, Anadolu Ajansı reported that the Israeli army withdrew late Thursday night from the southern Hebron district in the occupied West Bank after a four-day military operation marked by arrests, house-to-house searches, and property damage.

Anadolu Ajansı said the operation ended after the army searched 350 houses and arrested 14 Palestinians, while local sources said Israeli forces arrested at least 10 Palestinians and conducted on-site interrogations of dozens more.

Haaretz reported that a UN Inquiry found Israeli forces shield settlers during attacks on Palestinians, saying Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages and land had surged since 2023, rising by 130 percent.

In the Hebron operation, Anadolu Ajansı reported that residents took to the streets after the troops left, expressing relief after several days of strict closures and restrictions, and witnesses told the outlet that the campaign involved arrests, house searches, and property damage.

Anadolu Ajansı also cited a statement from families in southern Hebron calling for unity and social cohesion and praising journalists and media teams for coverage judged to be professional and responsible during the siege and closures.

Haaretz

Haaretz framed the UN Inquiry’s findings by saying Israeli forces' presence during attacks amounts to a de facto collapse of the distinction between settlers and soldiers,' the report says.

Haaretz also said the report found Israeli authorities are directly involved in settler attacks that have killed, injured and displaced Palestinians, while TRT Français described a separate incident in which Israeli troops confiscated ambulance keys and held a body after a shooting near Hebron.

WAFA reported that two young Palestinian men were injured by Israeli occupation forces’ gunfire on Wednesday evening during a military raid on Al-Fawwar refugee camp, south of Hebron, with confrontations erupting after Israeli soldiers fired live ammunition and shot and injured two young men in the foot.

WAFA said Israeli forces stormed the camp, deployed across its streets, vandalized surveillance cameras belonging to local shops, raided several homes, and assaulted residents, and it added that Israeli forces obstructed ambulance crews from reaching the injured.

Anadolu Ajansı linked the Hebron campaign to a broader pattern, saying that since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israel has intensified its military operations and settler attacks across the West Bank, with deaths, arrests, forced displacement, and an expansion of settlements.

Anadolu Ajansı further reported official Palestinian figures, saying at least 1,107 Palestinians have been killed, about 11,000 wounded, and more than 21,000 arrested in the West Bank since then.

Haaretz’s UN Inquiry findings added another dimension to what is at stake, stating that Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian villages and land had surged since 2023, rising by 130 percent, and that Israeli authorities are directly involved in settler attacks.