(MENAFN) The Palestinian Ministry of Health issued a statement on Sunday confirming the tragic death of a Palestinian woman as a result of Israeli gunfire near a military checkpoint in the West Bank. Labiba Faza Sidqi Ghannam, a 43-year-old resident of Tubas, was reportedly shot at the Hamra checkpoint in the Jordan Valley. Palestinian security sources further alleged that Israeli forces not only fired upon Ghannam but also obstructed ambulance crews from reaching her, subsequently closing the military checkpoint in both directions.
Conversely, Israeli public radio reported a different narrative, claiming that Ghannam had allegedly attempted to stab soldiers at the checkpoint, resulting in no casualties. However, this conflicting account does little to assuage the tensions surrounding the incident.
The unfortunate event adds to the grim toll of Palestinians who have lost their lives to Israeli gunfire in the West Bank over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 16 casualties. These heightened tensions come amid escalating violence and armed confrontations between Israeli troops and Palestinians across various cities, villages, and refugee camps since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023.
Tragically, since the onset of the conflict, the West Bank and East Jerusalem have witnessed a distressing escalation of violence, with Israeli airstrikes and gunfire claiming the lives of more than 480 Palestinians, according to figures released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. This ongoing cycle of violence underscores the urgent need for efforts to de-escalate tensions and work towards a sustainable resolution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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