Israeli forces have killed a 53-year-old Palestinian man near the separatist barrier in the northern West Bank city of Qalqilya, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The victim, identified as Nabil Ahmed Ghanem by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, was shot and killed Sunday near the village of Jaljulia. He was a resident of the town of Nablus in the North West Bank. The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said Sunday’s shooting was a “field execution.” Wafa reported that Ghanem was shot while trying to cross the separation barrier. He was among tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank who regularly seek work in Israel. An Israeli army spokesman said forces had shot “a suspect who vandalized the security fence”, which Palestinians and many rights groups have called a “wall of apartheid”. The International Court of Justice in The Hague has ordered Israel to tear down the wall after declaring it illegal. However, the wall, which severely restricts Palestinian movements, remains. About 165,000 Palestinians cross into Israel every day on work permits, according to the Palestinian Workers’ Union. Some have permits to work in Israel while others seek to cross without a permit. It is not clear if Ghanem had the documents required to pass the checkpoints. His body was transported to Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba, Israel.
Increase in Israeli-Palestinian violence
Ghanem’s assassination comes amid escalating Israeli-Palestinian violence. More than 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces this year, many of them in raids, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. At least 19 people have been killed in Israel in Palestinian attacks since March. Separately, clashes erupted Sunday near a military checkpoint southwest of Tulkarm, northwest of the occupied West Bank. Security sources told Wafa that five Palestinians had been arrested. Israeli forces also detained 13 Palestinians after invading the town of Bartaa, southwest of Jenin. The director of the Jenin Prisoners’ Club, Montazer Samur, told Wafa that the raid targeted a residential building. Last month, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli forces while covering a raid on Jenin. Members of the international community have condemned her murder and continue to call for an independent inquiry. Shireen has been with Al Jazeera for 25 years, covering the history of the Israeli occupation.
