Israeli forces have killed 16 Palestinians across the occupied West Bank as they opened live fire on demonstrators rallying to show solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said in the early hours of Saturday that a total of 51 people have been killed since Oct. 7.
People took part in demonstrations in cities across the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Friday, including Ramallah, Tulkarem, Nablus and al-Khalil (Hebron).
Banners reading "Lift the siege on Gaza" and "Stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza" were carried by people through al-Khalil.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported, "nine martyrs by occupation (Israeli) bullets in the West Bank" and some 130 wounded across multiple locations, some critically.
At least three people were also killed in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, and a 14-year-old boy was killed in Beit Furik, near Nablus.
Shooting at point-blank range
A viral video shows an illegal Israeli settler opening fire on a Palestinian at point-blank range in al-Khalil.
The video shows the armed settler assaulting Palestinians in the village of Al-Tuwani near Yatta, before shooting one of them at point-blank range, in the presence of the Israeli military forces.
In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said: "The critical injury resulted from live ammunition fired by the occupation forces, impacting the abdomen. The wounded individual was transported to Shahid Abu al-Hasan al-Qasim Hospital in Yatta."
#BREAKING| An Israeli civilian settler opens fire on a Palestinian young man in the #WestBank town of Masafer Yatta. pic.twitter.com/JEDTzHtqVS
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 13, 2023
Since Saturday, at least 46 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank.
The killings come as Israeli forces keep pounding the Gaza Strip since last weekend when the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched multi-pronged Operation al-Aqsa Storm in response to the desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque and increased violence.
Demonstrations were also held across the world on Friday against the Israeli regime’s atrocities against the people of Palestine.
The relentless Israeli raids on Gaza Strip have killed some 1,800 Palestinians, including 583 children. Meanwhile, the regime has cut electricity, water, food, and fuel supply to the region, raising concerns over a major humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip which has become known as the largest open-air prison on earth.