AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The European Union has voiced deep concern over Israel’s use of lethal force against Palestinians, amid a surge in violence in the occupied territories.
The European Union Delegation to the Palestinians made the remarks in posts on its official Twitter account on Friday, emphasizing that according to international law, the use of lethal force is strictly limited to situations in which there exists an imminent threat of death or serious injury, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency reported.
It further noted that 2022 is the deadliest year of violence since 2006, stressing that civilian casualties must be investigated and the regime’s accountability ensured.
The development came after Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian youth in the occupied West Bank earlier in the day.
The Palestinian youth, identified as 22-year-old Ammar Mefleh, was shot dead following an alleged stabbing attack against the regime’s forces at a checkpoint in the northern West Bank town of Hawara on Friday.
Footage released on social media showed Ammar being shot four times at point-blank range as he was lying on the ground.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli forces killed four Palestinians during confrontations in different parts of the West Bank.
Israeli forces have recently been conducting overnight raids and killings in the northern occupied West Bank, mainly in the cities of Jenin and Nablus, where new groups of Palestinian resistance fighters have been formed.
Since the start of 2022, Israeli troops have killed more than 200 Palestinians, including more than 50 children, in the occupied West Bank and East al-Quds as well as the besieged Gaza Strip.
According to the United Nations, the number of Palestinians killed by Israel in the occupied West Bank this year is the highest in 16 years.
Local and international rights groups have condemned Israel’s excessive use of force and “shoot-to-kill policy” against Palestinians.
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