Israeli forces shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian boy, Ibrahim Nasr, during a raid on the town of Qabatiya, near Jenin in the West Bank on Tuesday.
Witnesses said forces stormed the town, sparking clashes with young residents and opening fire directly. Troops remained deployed across several neighbourhoods.
The killing came as Israeli forces expanded their operations in Jenin, Bethlehem, and Hebron, continuing a months-long offensive. In the early hours of Wednesday, soldiers raided Nablus and Tulkarm, besieging two hospitals in Nablus.
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, troops surrounded Rafidia Hospital and the Arab Specialised Hospital, deployed near emergency entrances, fired sound bombs, and searched ambulances. The Palestinian Red Crescent said one man was shot in the foot during the siege.
Elsewhere, Israeli raids targeted the Far’a refugee camp and areas near Ramallah, where Israeli forces demolished homes and agricultural structures in the Khalayel area northeast of Al-Mughayyir.
Annexation plans in Knesset
The military escalation comes as the Knesset is set to vote on a draft resolution calling for the formal annexation of the occupied West Bank. Though non-binding, the move could gather growing support within Israel’s far-right coalition and forcibly display millions of Palestinians.
Likud political figures have pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing war crimes and crimes against humanity charges at the International Criminal Court, to proceed with annexation without delay.
The annexation of the West Bank would violate international law, including UN Security Council resolutions that demand an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land seized in 1967.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers continue to attack Palestinian communities. On Monday, settlers vandalised an agricultural facility in al-Sawahra, southeast of Jerusalem, scattering livestock, smashing a tractor, and destroying solar panels, fences, and supplies, according to the Jerusalem Governorate.
Officials said the assault is part of a broader effort to displace Palestinians from the area.
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission said Israeli authorities advanced 25 new settlement plans in July alone, approving 899 housing units and submitting plans for another 586 units. Commission head Muayyad Shaaban warned these measures aim to fragment Palestinian land into isolated enclaves, making a viable Palestinian state impossible.
"These acts are not just violations of Palestinian rights but also a defiance of international law and UN resolutions," Shaaban said.