Palestinian teen killed in IDF raid in northern West Bank; 23 suspects arrested

A Palestinian teenager was killed in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday as Israeli troops carried out arrest raids in a northern West Bank refugee camp, Palestinian health officials said.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, troops detained two wanted Palestinian in the Faraa refugee camp near the northeastern city of Tubas, when a suspect approached troops with an explosive device.

The IDF said troops opened fire at the Palestinian, adding that he was hit.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said 17-year-old Mahmoud al-Aydi was fatally struck in the head by the soldiers’ bullets.

The camp is home to a recently formed armed group affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.

Images circulating online showed al-Aydi posing with an assault rifle. However, no armed factions immediately claimed him as a member.

استشهاد المقاتل محمود العايدي متاثرا بإصابته برصاص قوات الاحتلال خلال اشتباكات مع قوات الاحتلال فجر اليوم في مخيم الفارعة. pic.twitter.com/6Q54BS1DXT

— #القدس_ينتفض ???????? (@MyPalestine0) February 14, 2023

The IDF said troops detained another 21 terror suspects and seized several firearms in other areas of the West Bank during the overnight raids, with violent incidents occurring in some areas.

Palestinian gunmen opened fire overnight from a passing vehicle at a military checkpoint guarding the illegal Homesh outpost, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the IDF said.

No soldiers were hurt in the drive-by attack, and troops found several shell casings nearby, the military added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

In recent months, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.

The arrests came amid a year-long IDF anti-terror offensive in the West Bank following a series of Palestinian terror attacks that left 31 people dead in 2022, and another 11 since the beginning of the year.

The IDF’s operation has netted more than 2,500 arrests in near-nightly raids. It also left 171 Palestinians dead in 2022, and another 48 since the beginning of the year, many of them while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces, though some were uninvolved civilians.

There has also been a rise in revenge attacks by Israelis against Palestinians following recent terror attacks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.