In a tragic incident, an Israeli man was shot dead in the Palestinian town of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank on Saturday morning, according to Israel's army. The army confirmed that the man was pronounced dead after being shot and that Israeli troops were currently operating in the area.

The West Bank has witnessed an escalation in violence since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October last year. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that at least 549 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the territory during this period, while U.N. data indicates that at least nine Israelis, including five soldiers, have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank.

In a separate incident, the Palestinian Civil Defense, an emergency group active in Gaza, reported that 19 bodies were pulled from a building hit by an Israeli strike in an eastern neighborhood of Gaza City. The group also stated that their emergency workers were searching for survivors at the site of another strike in the Shati Refugee camp, located west of Gaza City. However, the figures provided by the emergency group have not been independently verified.

The Israeli army confirmed that its fighter jets targeted two Hamas military sites in the Gaza City area but did not provide further details. Additionally, a member of the military wing of the Islamic Group, a Sunni Muslim faction closely allied with Hamas, was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley.

The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, when Hamas militants reportedly stormed southern Israel, leading to the deaths of around 1,200 people and the hostage-taking of approximately 250 others. Israel responded by launching airstrikes and invading Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 37,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which includes combatants and civilians in its count.

Israeli nationals are prohibited from entering Qalqilya and other areas of the West Bank under the control of the Palestinian Authority. This incident follows the death of a 14-year-old Israeli settler in April, which sparked a series of settler attacks on Palestinian towns. The army later apprehended a Palestinian in connection with the killing. In 2014, the abduction and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank led to heightened tensions and eventually triggered a 50-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The power of the Palestinian Authority has diminished in the northern West Bank in recent years, as militant groups have gained prominence. In addition, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that a 12-year-old Palestinian boy succumbed to his injuries after being shot by Israeli forces in Ramallah last week. The Israeli army stated that its forces had raided the al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah to arrest a suspect and opened fire on a group of Palestinians who were throwing stones at them.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, during the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinians consider these territories essential for their future independent state.