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Palestinian authorities: US activist shot dead during protest in West Bank

An American activist was shot dead during a protest near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities.The activist was shot dead during a weekly demonstration against an Israeli settlement near the Palestinian village of Beita, according to a local resident.Eyewitnesses and Palestinian authorities said the Israeli military was responsible for the attack. CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the allegation.Dr. Hisham Dweikat, a resident of Beita, attended the demonstration.”Just as the prayers were ending, the Israeli military started firing tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters,” he said. “As people ran away, live ammunition was fired and a soldier fired directly at the protesters, hitting the American activist from behind in the head and she fell to the ground.”The activist was taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where she was pronounced dead, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.Protests in Beita are common. The Palestinian town is next to a dilapidated Israeli settler outpost called Evyatar. The settlement was not approved by the Israeli state until it was legalized earlier this year. All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law. “We are telling the international community that this woman had American citizenship,” Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas told journalists at Rafidia Hospital. “But the bullets made no distinction between a Palestinian, a child, an old man or a woman, and between one nationality and another.” The activist's death came nine days after the Israeli military launched one of its most extensive operations in the West Bank in years, carrying out raids and airstrikes in several parts of the occupied territory. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the aim of the operation was to “thwart the Islamic-Iranian terrorist infrastructure” and claimed that Iran was working to establish an “eastern front” against Israel, working with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Clashes in the West Bank have intensified since Israel launched its war in Gaza on October 7 in response to Hamas's attack on southern Israel. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah and the UN, nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October, although the figures do not distinguish between militants and civilians.

Palestinian officials say an American activist was shot dead during a protest near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

According to a local resident, the activist was shot during a weekly demonstration against an Israeli settlement near the Palestinian village of Beita.

Eyewitnesses and Palestinian officials said the Israeli military was responsible for the incident. CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces for comment on the allegation.

Dr. Hisham Dweikat, a resident of Beita, took part in the demonstration.

“Just as the prayers were ending, the Israeli military started firing tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters,” he said. “As people ran away, live ammunition was fired and one soldier fired directly at the protesters, hitting the American activist from behind in the head and causing him to fall to the ground.”

The activist was taken to Rafidia Hospital in Nablus, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Protests are commonplace in Beita. The Palestinian town is located next to a dilapidated Israeli settler outpost called Evyatar. The settlement was not approved by the Israeli state until it was legalized earlier this year. All Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law.

“We tell the international community that this woman had American citizenship,” Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas told reporters at Rafidia Hospital. “But the bullets made no distinction between a Palestinian, a child, an old man or a woman, and between one nationality and another.”

The activist's death came nine days after the Israeli military launched one of its most extensive operations in the West Bank in years, carrying out raids and airstrikes in several parts of the occupied territory.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the aim of the operation was to “thwart the Islamic-Iranian terror infrastructure.” He claimed Iran was working to establish an “eastern front” against Israel, working with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

Since Israel began its war in the Gaza Strip on October 7 in response to Hamas's attack on southern Israel, clashes have become more frequent in the West Bank.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah and the UN, almost 700 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October. The figures do not distinguish between militants and civilians.

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