JERUSALEM: The latest death in a months-long cycle of violence between Palestinians and Israelis occurred on Sunday when Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
There remained uncertainty about the cause of death. According to Israeli media, the man tried to stab soldiers guarding a Jewish settlement with a knife. The man was Ahmad Kahla, 45, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Israeli army was immediately silent.
In the occupied territory, where Israeli forces have been conducting nightly arrest raids since last spring, tensions have been running high for months.
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The raids were in response to a wave of Palestinian attacks on Israelis, in which 19 people were killed. Later that year, another wave of attacks killed 10 more Israelis.
According to data from the Israeli rights organization B'Tselem, 2022 was set to be the deadliest year since 2004 for Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. According to a count by The Associated Press, 13 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the year.
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According to Israel, most of those killed were terrorists. However, stone-throwing Palestinians, youths protesting the invasion, and unrelated individuals have also been killed.
According to Israel, the aim of the raid is to destroy terrorist networks and prevent further attacks. In the eyes of Palestinians, they represent a further solidification of Israel's ongoing 55-year occupation, which they seek for a future independent state.
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The West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem were all taken by Israel in the 1967 Middle East conflict; These are the areas where the Palestinians desire their aspirational state.
Since then, Israel has built 500,000 homes in 130 settlements in the West Bank, which is seen by much of the Palestinian and international community as an obstacle to peace.