Israeli settler kills Palestinian suspect in volatile West Bank
Jerusalem, Mar 10 (EFE).- An Israeli settler shot dead a Palestinian man on Friday after he allegedly walked into a farm armed with knives and an explosive device, the Israeli military said, amid an ongoing escalation of violence that has gripped the region.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the slain as 21-year-old Abdul-Karim al-Sheikh.
An Israeli army spokesperson said he was a “terrorist armed with knives and explosive devices” when he tried to enter a farm near the Karnei Shomron settlement in the northern West Bank.
Established in 1980, Shomron is one of the Israeli settlements and three outposts that overlook the Wadi Qana nature reserve in the northern West Bank.
“The owner of the farm saw the terrorist and shot and neutralized him,” the spokesperson said.
“Security forces searched the area and no other suspects were found at the scene.”
The official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, said Israeli soldiers stormed into the Sanniriya town and ransacked several houses, including the family house of the slain man.
The incident follows a violent night of clashes in the West Bank between Palestinians and Israeli troops.
According to a military spokesperson, groups of Palestinians fired and threw explosives at Israeli troops during an army operation in Tulkarem city.
The soldiers responded with fire.
Separately, Israeli security forces stormed the West Bank city of Naalin and arrested two relatives of the Palestinian who allegedly carried out an attack last night in the center of Tel Aviv, injuring three.
The attacker, shot dead by the Israeli police, was identified as Moataz Billah al Jawaja and recognized by the Islamist Hamas movement as one of its members.
During the raid on Naalin, Israeli forces began demolishing al Jawaja’s residence, a standard policy against Palestinian attackers.
It sparked clashes with local residents.
The army said the Palestinians “threw explosives, dozens of Molotov cocktails, and stones at the forces.”
Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces and recurring military incursions and raids on Palestinian towns have been a daily routine in the occupied West Bank since the beginning of the year.
The first two months of 2023 were the deadliest in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict since 2000.
Over 75 Palestinians have died in military operations, attacks, and clashes with Israeli troops this year.
On the Israeli side, Palestinians in the occupied territory have killed 14 people in various attacks.
Earlier this week, the Israeli army carried out an operation in the refugee camp in Jenin that left eight Palestinians.
