Palestinian fatally shot by Israeli troops in West Bank protest
Jerusalem, Sep 24 (EFE).- A Palestinian man died Friday after being shot by Israeli troops during a protest near the West Bank city of Nablus.
Wafa, the official news agency of the Palestinian Authority, identified the victim as Mohammad Ali Khabisa, 28.
PA health officials said the cause of death was a shot to the head.
Khabisa is the eighth person to be killed during demonstrations by residents of the village of Beita against the construction of an unauthorized Jewish settlement on land claimed by the village, Wafa said.
More than eight other people were hurt in clashes with the Israeli soldiers, who used live rounds as well as rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the protesters, according to Wafa.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described the protest as a “violent rampage” involving hundreds of Palestinians who burned tires and hurled rocks at the soldiers.
Work on the Eviatar settlement began in May, triggering a wave of protests at the site 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Nablus, the second-most-populous city in the West Bank.
Though the Israeli government officially regards the “outpost” as illegal, the troops it has deployed to defend Eviatar have responded with force to protesters.
In a separate incident, IDF soldiers shot and wounded four Palestinians on Friday in the West Bank town of Kafr Qaddum. EFE pd/dr
