Israeli forces shot and killed at least two Palestinians during separate military raids across the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry confirmed, according to reports from AFP and Anadolu Agency. Among the victims was 32-year-old Mustafa Taha Mustafa al-Khatib, who was targeted at dawn when Israeli soldiers stormed his residential home in the village of Sarta, located within the Salfit governorate. Local sources stated that the troops forced their way inside the property and opened fire at close range without warning. The brutal killing has triggered widespread anger and protests among residents across the occupied territories amid escalating military operations.
The victim`s uncle, Yassin Khatib, described the fatal shooting to Anadolu Agency as a cold-blooded execution by the occupation forces. He noted that the broken main door and heavily damaged household items inside the bedroom clearly indicated that soldiers barged in without giving his nephew time to dress or open the door. Relatives confirmed that al-Khatib held dual citizenship in both Jordan and Palestine and had returned from Jordan two years ago to work locally in the agriculture and construction sectors. The family emphasized that the deceased had no political affiliations or connections with any armed resistance groups in the region.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner`s Society, Israeli troops ransacked the house before leaving the victim`s body inside the bloodstained room. Local eyewitnesses alleged that military units actively prevented emergency ambulances from reaching the wounded man for nearly two hours following the shooting. Meanwhile, the Israeli military told AFP that its troops opened fire after an individual began throwing heavy objects at soldiers during a routine operational raid in the area. What remains unclear is the exact motive behind the separate fatal shooting incident reported in the Gaza Strip and the total number of civilian casualties resulting from it.
In addition to the military raid, severe settler violence erupted in Halhul, located north of Hebron, where armed Israeli settlers attacked local Palestinian homes. Residents reported that around 35 masked settlers pelted houses with stones and attempted to start fires following the dismantling of a nearby illegal outpost. Israeli news outlet Haaretz confirmed the accounts, citing witnesses who saw masked individuals vandalizing civilian property under the protection of security elements. The continuous surge in coordinated military incursions and radical settler assaults has severely deteriorated the security situation across the occupied West Bank.
