Israeli troops kill Palestinian teenage girl in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces have shot and killed a 15-year-old Palestinian girl during a raid in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the girl as Fulla al-Masalmeh, saying she was killed a day before her 16th birthday. The shooting occurred in the city of Beitunia, where the military said troops were on an arrest raid.

Palestinians and rights groups accuse Israeli soldiers of using excessive force against Palestinians, without being held accountable. The military says it contends with complex, life-threatening scenarios.

Israeli-Palestinian tensions have been high for months, with the Israeli military carrying out nightly raids in the occupied West Bank since the spring, when a spate of attacks against Israelis killed 19 people.

READ MORE: Palestinian woman killed by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank

Deadliest year since 2006

More than 130 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, making 2022 the deadliest since 2006. 

The Palestinians say the raids are aimed at cementing Israel’s open-ended 55-year-old occupation of lands they want for their hoped-for state.

Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. 

The Palestinians seek all three territories for their future independent state.

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