Israeli undercover police 'kill Palestinian refugee' near Ramallah

Israeli undercover police, known as Mista'arvin, killed a Palestinian refugee in the occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh
2 min read
25 May, 2021
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 [Getty]

Undercover Israeli forces reportedly killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank city of Al-Bireh at dawn on Tuesday, according to medical sources.

Plain-clothed Israeli forces, known as Mista'arvim, snuck their way into Umm Al Sharayet neighbourhood, where they shot and killed a young man identified as Ahmad Jamil Fahd.

Director of the Palestine Medical Complex, Ahmad al-Bitawi, told Voice of Palestine radio that Fahd was rushed to the medical facility.

He was a resident of Am'ari refugee camp, east of Ramallah city.

Fahd's killing came hours after Israeli forces shot dead a 17-year-old near the French Hill settlement in occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli police fired the fatal shots at Zuhdi Al-Tawil after he purportedly carried out a stabbing attack, according to Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa.

The killings come after weeks of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank following the Israeli decision to restrict movement at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and settler attacks on the holy site. 

Tensions further escalated following the forced dispossession of Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah and the 11-day Israeli bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, which killed some 250 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded over 1,910 others.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and its settlements in the territories are deemed illegal by the international community.

More than 600,000 Israeli Jews live in settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, in constructions considered illegal under international law.

NGOs say that Israeli forces and settlers routinely harass Palestinians in the occupied territories by harming and killing civilians, demolishing homes, poisoning livestock, vandalising property and other forms of violence.