Israeli occupation soldiers shot and killed a young Palestinian man at dawn on Monday in the village of Khursa, near Dura town, southwest of Hebron in the occupied West Bank’s southern part, before preventing medical crews from reaching him and later taking his body to an undisclosed location.
Medical sources said the soldiers opened live fire at Ramzi Abdul‑Hakim al‑‘Awawda, 22, from Tarrama village, south of Dura, at the Khursa junction, leaving him bleeding on the ground without providing any medical assistance.
Palestinian paramedics who rushed to the area were blocked from approaching him, and the soldiers confiscated the keys of the ambulances, forcing the crews to remain at a distance until al‑‘Awawda succumbed to his wounds.
The medics said the soldiers then took Al-Awawda’s body in a military ambulance to an unknown destination.
The Israeli army claimed that the Palestinian “was carrying a knife” when he approached the soldiers, who were operating in the area, before they shot him.
In a separate incident, the Israeli military said that its forces opened fire at a man in the town of Ar‑Ram, north of occupied Jerusalem, during a military invasion in the area.
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The army alleged that the man was driving at high speed toward the soldiers in a manner it described as “posing a threat,” adding that he was “neutralized,” while reporting no injuries among its troops.
The killing of Ramzi al‑‘Awawda adds to the growing number of Palestinians shot at close range during Israeli military invasions, often while medical crews are prevented from reaching the wounded.
It comes amid a sharp escalation of Israeli military violence and attacks by illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers across the occupied West Bank since October 7, 2023.
Over this period, Israeli forces and colonizers have carried out widespread assaults that include killings, home demolitions, forced displacement, and accelerated colony expansion.
Since then, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank, among them 237 children, 27 women, and 2 journalists, while approximately 11,700 have been injured and around 22,000 detained.
At least 48 Palestinians were killed by illegal paramilitary Israeli colonizers, 299 were assassinated, and 455 were killed during Israeli invasions of towns and refugee camps. Israel continues to withhold the bodies of 300 Palestinians.
