Unable to pay teachers, PA cuts West Bank students’ classes for fourth year running

Palestinian officials reported that Israeli forces killed a 14-year-old boy named Moutaz Eyad Daghlas in the West Bank town of Burqa, located northwest of Nablus, on Monday evening. The Palestinian health ministry stated that Moutaz was killed while attempting to throw stones at Israeli soldiers. The Palestine Red Crescent Society mentioned that their teams provided medical aid to two individuals who sustained gunshot wounds, while three volunteer paramedics were detained and prevented access to a third wounded person.

The Israeli military claimed that the incident was a response to stone-throwing in the area, emphasizing that they had fired to neutralize the threat. Israeli forces have a history of opening fire on Palestinians, including minors, in the West Bank, which has been under Israeli control since 1967. The Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem reported that Israeli forces had killed at least 241 children or teenagers in the territory between the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and late June 2024.

Tensions have escalated recently, particularly ahead of Israel's upcoming election on October 27, 2023, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed to gain support from right-wing settlers in the West Bank. In the preceding weeks, Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint near Hebron before being neutralized by Israeli forces, who subsequently launched a significant operation in the volatile city.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have reportedly killed at least 1,116 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza conflict, according to an AFP count based on Palestinian Authority records. Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks or clashes with Israeli forces have resulted in the deaths of at least 51 Israelis during the same timeframe, based on official Israeli figures.