Israeli forces kill 15-year old Palestinian child. 78 children killed since the start of 2021.

Imad Khaled Saleh Hashash, a 15-year old child was killed by Israeli troops after they attacked a refugee camp in West Bank.

Hashash died on Tuesday after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head in the Balata refugee camp.

The Israeli army said it conducted an overnight operation in the camp to apprehend “a suspect”.

“During the mission, live ammunition was fired at troops from rooftops. The troops responded with fire towards the sources of the shooting,” it said in a statement.

Hamas, the group ruling the Gaza Strip, issued a statement to mourn the death of Hashash, reported Palestinian media. Hamas also commended Palestinians at Balata camp for standing up to Israeli forces during the raid.

According to the Israeli military, rioting broke out during the operation. The residents hurling concrete blocks and other objects from rooftops at Israeli soldiers.

“During the riot, a number of soldiers spotted a suspect on a rooftop holding a large object in his hands, attempting to throw it at an [Israeli] soldier standing underneath the building. One of the soldiers responded with live fire and a hit was identified,” the statement added, without commenting directly on the teenager’s death.

Killing of children

The killing of Hashash took the death toll of Palestinian children killed by Israel to 78 since the start of 2021.

 Muhammad Tamimi, 17, died after Israeli soldiers shot him in the back three times with live ammunition.

On July 28, Muhammad Abu Sara, 11, died from a gunshot wound to the chest after Israeli soldiers fired 13 rounds at his father’s car in the Palestinian village of Beit Ummar in the southern West Bank.

The deaths of the three boys were among 12 children killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank this year, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Another 67 children were killed in Gaza during Israel’s attack in May.

(Inputs from Al Jazeera, UNICEF)