RAMALLAH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian teenager was killed Wednesday evening by Israeli army fire in the town of Arraba in the northern West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

In a brief statement, the ministry identified the victim as 14-year-old Ibrahim Imad Ahmed Mahmoud Hamran.

Khalil al-Arda, a member of the Arraba municipality, told Xinhua that the child was hit by direct gunfire from Israeli forces. He said there were no clashes reported in the area at the time of the incident.

Al-Arda described the incident as part of "a growing trend of excessive use of force" by the Israeli military in the West Bank.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the incident.

Tensions have been rising in the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, as Israeli forces intensified their operations in the territory. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 947 Palestinians -- among them at least 200 children -- were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between Oct. 7, 2023 and June 12, 2025. ■