Israeli forces fatally shot a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the Israeli military confirming troops had fired at someone "throwing objects" at soldiers. The shooting is the latest fatal incident to occur as violence surges in the occupied Palestinian territory. In a statement, the Palestinian health ministry announced the death of 32-year-old Mustafa Taha Mustafa Al-Khatib "at dawn today after being shot by Israeli occupation forces in Salfit.” It added that his death brought the number of Palestinians killed since the beginning of the year to 72, including 17 children, five women, and two elderly people. When asked by AFP about the incident, the Israeli military said that "during IDF soldiers' operational activity in the area of Sarta, a terrorist threw objects at the soldiers." "The soldiers initiated standard suspect apprehension procedures, which included warning shots into the air. After the terrorist continued attacking the soldiers and throwing objects in a manner that posed a threat to them, they responded with fire toward him," the military said, adding that "hits were identified." A day earlier, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man during a house raid in a town in the northern West Bank who the military described as a "terrorist.”
