Israeli forces fatally shot a Palestinian worker at a checkpoint barrier near Jerusalem on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Officials identified the victim as 26-year-old Imad Haroun Ishtayeh, a resident of Salim town located east of Nablus. The ministry reported that Israeli forces wounded him with gunfire to his thigh in al-Ram town, and medical personnel later declared him dead at the Palestinian Medical Complex in Ramallah.
Video footage shared on social media depicted people carrying his body and descending a ladder positioned against the wire-topped checkpoint while vehicles passed nearby and horns sounded.
Israeli police have not yet provided a statement regarding the fatal shooting.
Ishtayeh was reportedly trying to cross illegally from the West Bank into Israel. Multiple individuals have been shot while attempting to breach the checkpoint, including a 44-year-old father who died in a similar incident earlier this month.
Growing numbers of Palestinians from the West Bank have attempted unauthorized entry into Israel for employment opportunities in recent years. While tens of thousands of Palestinians previously held valid Israeli work permits, access became severely limited following the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza conflict.
Following that date, joblessness in the West Bank has climbed dramatically during an economic downturn. Approximately 50 workers have died from Israeli gunfire, with more than 38,000 detained although many were subsequently freed, the Palestinian official WAFA news agency reported Sunday, referencing data from the General Federation of Palestinian Trade Unions.
