On 15 March, Israeli occupation forces killed three Palestinian civilians on separate incidents, including teenager Nader Rayan in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli raids were conducted at the Balata refugee camp in Nablus early in the morning, where Rayan died after being shot in the hand, chest, and head. Three other Palestinians were wounded in the raid, with one left in critical condition, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

In response to the assault, Israeli border police confirmed the deaths, saying: “A terrorist fired at our troops who responded and killed him.”

The raid in Balata resulted in the conviction of a wanted Palestinian national Ammar Arafat. According to local sources, Arafat has been wanted by the Israeli forces for months, with his home being raided multiple times and his family receiving countless death threats if Arafat failed to turn himself in.

The second victim, Alaa Shaham, was killed after being shot in the head at the Qalandiya refugee camp located on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Six others were wounded during the raid.

The third victim was killed in Rahat located in the Naqab desert,  where an undercover Israeli unit shot 27-year-old Sanad Salem al-Harbed.

Israeli police claim the victims were firing at the undercover unit as they entered the town attempting to arrest two criminal suspects.

Al-Harbed was allegedly in possession of a pistol and ammunition according to Israeli forces.

The Naqab desert hosts 300,000 Palestinian residents, with the majority living in ‘unrecognized’ villages that lack basic necessities, such as electricity and water.

Raids by the Israeli occupation forces are frequent in overcrowded refugee camps, typically resulting in numerous deaths. The West Bank, not including East Jerusalem, hosts 475,000 Israeli settlers.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) condemned the killings, saying in a statement: “Comprehensive resistance is the most effective way to resist the Zionist enemy.”

They went to say that those confronting the Israeli occupation in Palestinian cities and villages should unite against the continued aggressions.