Jerusalem, June 1 (UNIPA News) — A 26-year-old Palestinian man was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Sunday while attempting to cross a barrier separating the occupied West Bank from Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
The ministry identified the deceased as Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, a resident of Salem village east of Nablus. It said Israeli forces shot him in the thigh near the town of al-Ram before he was transferred to the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah, where he was later pronounced dead.
Israeli police said the man had attempted to enter Israel unlawfully by crossing the security barrier.
Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show several people carrying Ishtayeh’s body and descending a ladder positioned against the wire-topped barrier. Traffic continued to move nearby as the incident unfolded.
According to relatives, Ishtayeh had previously operated a poultry slaughterhouse in Salem and was the primary financial supporter of his ill father. Family members said deteriorating economic conditions in the West Bank had severely affected his business, prompting him to seek employment opportunities in Israel.
A relative, Nasser Ishtayeh, said the victim had initially attempted to cross the barrier on Saturday but was unable to do so because of heightened security measures. After spending the night with other Palestinians near the crossing area, he reportedly tried again on Sunday morning and was shot.
“He was directly shot with live bullets and died at the hospital,” Nasser Ishtayeh said.
The incident comes amid growing economic hardship in the West Bank. Since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, Israel has significantly restricted access for Palestinian workers who previously held permits to work inside the country.
According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, citing the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions, around 50 Palestinian workers have been killed by Israeli fire since the outbreak of the war. The report also said more than 38,000 workers had been arrested, although many were later released.
Separately on Sunday, two Palestinians were killed and at least 10 others injured near Gaza City’s port area, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the incident.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains in effect in Gaza.
In the occupied West Bank, Israeli emergency services reported that two Israeli teenagers, aged 17 and 15, were injured in what police described as a vehicle-ramming attack near a bus stop at Gush Etzion Junction. Authorities said the 17-year-old girl was in serious condition.
The Israeli military said a soldier “eliminated the terrorist on site” and added that a third Israeli civilian was also injured in the incident.
