Qais Abu Samra
25 June 2026•Update: 25 June 2026
A Palestinian man was killed Thursday after being shot by Israeli forces during a raid on the town of Sarta in the occupied West Bank, according to witnesses.
Israeli forces raided the town, west of Salfit, conducting house searches and arrest operations targeting several Palestinians, witnesses told Anadolu.
During the raid, Israeli soldiers entered a home and opened fire at Mustafa Taha Khatib inside the house, critically wounding him, the witnesses said.
Khatib was transferred to Salfit Government Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The Israeli army did not immediately comment on the incident.
The West Bank has seen escalating attacks by the Israeli army on Palestinians and their property since the Gaza war in October 2023.
Since Oct. 8, 2023, Israeli escalation by the army and occupiers in the West Bank has killed 1,173 Palestinians, wounded 12,666, led to the arrest of about 23,000 and displaced 33,000, according to official Palestinian figures.
Palestinians warn that the attacks are paving the way for Israel to formally annex the West Bank, which would end the possibility of establishing an independent Palestinian state under UN resolutions.
Israel was established in 1948 on lands occupied by armed Zionist groups, and in 1967 occupied the remaining Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the eastern part of Jerusalem.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul
