West Bank teen killed as Turkey seeks Netanyahu warrant over flotilla raid

A Palestinian teenager was killed in the West Bank as Turkey sought an international warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu. The developments underscored intensifying regional conflict and mounting economic strain on Lebanon.

In Short

• A 17-year-old Palestinian was killed after settlers opened fire near Hebron
• Palestinian officials say 87 people have died in West Bank attacks this year
• Turkey wants an Interpol notice for Netanyahu over the Gaza flotilla interception

A Palestinian teenager was killed in the occupied West Bank on Friday after a rock-throwing incident, as wider developments in the Middle East also saw Turkey seek an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the World Bank warn that Lebanon's brief economic recovery has ended.

The developments came amid escalating violence in the West Bank, growing tensions over Israel's interception of boats trying to break the Gaza naval blockade in May, and fresh economic pressure on Lebanon following the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 17-year-old Palestinian was killed and another man was wounded by Israeli settler gunfire after rocks were thrown in Sa'ir, north of Hebron. The ministry identified the teenager as Karim Sanad Raja Shalaldeh. His father told The Associated Press at the hospital that Israeli settlers had killed his son. The Israeli military said soldiers were sent to Sa'ir after Palestinians threw rocks at Israeli civilians who were in the area without prior authorisation. It said some Israelis were injured and a security official opened fire. Separately, the Palestinian General Authority for Civil Affairs told the Health Ministry that 58-year-old Fathi Khazem was fatally shot by Israeli forces early Friday in Jenin. An Israeli army official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with military rules, said Khazem tried to stab an Israeli soldier during an overnight operation and no Israeli soldiers were injured. The official said Khazem was the father of Raed Khazem, who carried out a shooting attack in Tel Aviv in April 2022. According to Palestinian officials, at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in nearly 1,500 attacks by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank this year.

Turkey said it is seeking an international warrant for Netanyahu's arrest over Israel's interception of an international flotilla that tried to break the naval blockade of Gaza. Turkish Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said in a statement posted on X that the Interpol red notice being sought against Netanyahu and one other Israeli national was linked to an Istanbul court case in which 35 defendants are being tried in absentia for alleged genocide, other crimes against humanity, torture, unlawful detention and hijacking. The charges relate to the Israeli navy's interception in May of several vessels in international waters off Cyprus, days after the flotilla left the Turkish port of Marmaris. Some detained activists reported mistreatment. Netanyahu responded on social media, calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an antisemitic dictator who has "massacred Kurds, harbours Hamas terrorists, occupies half of Cyprus, and jails record numbers of journalists and politicians who oppose him." He added: "Erdogan's pathetic attempt to intimidate the leaders and soldiers of Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, will go nowhere."

In Lebanon, the World Bank said the economy is projected to contract 6.4 per cent this year because the latest Israel-Hezbollah war has reversed the previous year's recovery. It said the destruction caused by the war, which began in March, and a sharp fall in tourism had undone the 4.2 per cent growth seen in Lebanon's economy in 2025. The World Bank also forecast a sharp rise in inflation driven by supply disruptions, higher shipping costs and rising oil prices, which it said would further reduce purchasing power. Lebanon's economy has been in crisis since a banking collapse in 2019.

Friday's developments thus brought fresh violence in the West Bank, a legal move by Turkey against Netanyahu over the Gaza flotilla interception, and a World Bank warning that the latest Israel-Hezbollah war has pushed Lebanon's economy back into decline.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends