RAMALLAH, Palestine

A Palestinian child was shot and injured by Israeli army fire in the northern West Bank Saturday evening, local media said.

Fadi Rayan, 12, was wounded in the thigh by army fire during a military raid in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, west of Salfit, the official news agency Wafa reported.

Witnesses said clashes erupted between angry residents and Israeli forces during which the latter used live fire and tear gas canisters.

The official Palestine TV also reported another Israeli raid in the town of Kifl Haris, north of Salfit, but no information was available about injuries.

At least 716 Palestinians, including 160 children, have been killed and over 5,750 others injured by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, the Health Ministry said.

The escalation follows a landmark opinion in July by the International Court of Justice that declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala