A 5-year-old Palestinian child lost an eye on Saturday after being shot by Israeli soldiers in the village of Bazaria, near the Occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The child, identified as Khaled Akram Malalha, was struck in the eye by an Israeli rubber bullet on Friday, during confrontations that erupted near the village of Bazaria.

Khaled subsequently underwent an ophthalmectomy as a result of the wounds, at the city’s al-Najah Hospital.

Local media reported that Khaled was shot in the eye while he was in his father’s vehicle.

Children have been a leading category of Palestinian casualties resulting from Israel’s ongoing violence in the occupied West Bank.

179 Palestinians have been reportedly killed since the beginning of the year, and hundreds of others were reportedly wounded.

(PC, WAFA)