A 15-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed by Israeli forces early Friday in the village of Al-Lubban al-Sharqiya, north of Nablus, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The ministry said that Fahd Zidan Oweis died after being shot by Israeli soldiers, who later withheld his body following the incident. Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that the teenager was in the village plains when Israeli forces opened fire, adding that Red Crescent crews were prevented from reaching him.

In response to AFP’s request for comment, an Israeli military spokesperson said troops were conducting a “counterterrorism operation” in the area when they spotted three individuals allegedly throwing stones at Israeli vehicles on a nearby road. Soldiers then opened fire, killing one of them.

The incident comes amid escalating violence across the occupied West Bank since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, with Israeli military raids and clashes leading to a growing number of Palestinian casualties.