The Israeli military on Saturday (September 9) said that it opened fire at a group of Palestinians outside a refugee camp in the southern West Bank after they had lobbed Molotov cocktails at troops across the way.

The military said that it was aware that one of the Palestinians was shot and added that the Israeli military also suffered casualties.

Palestinian health officials claimed that the Israeli security forces killed a 16-year-old Palestinian in a confrontation in the southern West Bank.

The number of Palestinians killed in the West Bank so far this year by Israeli fire rose to 185, which includes over 30 youths under the age of 18.

The death count this year in the West Bank and east Jerusalem has already overtaken that of 2022. It was considered the deadliest year since the UN began tracking in 2005.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the killed 16-year-old was identified as Milad al-Rai and said that he suffered bullet injuries in his back.

Almost half of the Palestinians killed in the violence in 2023 have been connected to militant groups, according to a tally.

According to Israel, most of those who were killed were militants.

The Palestinian attacks against Israelis have witnessed an uptick after the Israeli military intensified its arrest raids in the West Bank. More than 30 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis since the start of 2023.

Israel describes the raids as a means to dismantle militant networks and prevent future attacks from taking place, while Palestinians say that the raids undermine their security forces and become an inspiration for more militancy.

(With AP inputs)

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