3 Palestinians, 2 of them brothers, shot dead in clashes with IDF

Two Palestinian brothers were killed by Israeli troops early Tuesday in the central West Bank, Palestinian health officials said, bringing the morning’s death toll to three.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said the brothers, Jawad Rimawi, 22, and Dhafer Rimawi, 21, were killed when Israeli troops opened fire on them in the town of Kafr Ein.

The Israel Defense Forces said clashes had erupted in the town during a routine military operation.

“A violent riot developed with the participation of several suspects who threw cinderblocks and Molotov cocktails at IDF forces,” the military said in a statement.

The IDF said troops returned fire at the suspects, and said it was aware of reports of two Palestinians being killed in the incident.

The incident came hours after a Palestinian man was killed in clashes with troops, after two military vehicles broke down in a town near Hebron.

The IDF said the two jeeps, on a routine patrol, got stuck in the city due to “technical malfunctions.”

Palestinians opened fire, and others threw stones and explosive devices at the soldiers, who responded with live fire and other riot dispersal means, the military said.

استشهاد الشقيقين جواد وظافر الريماوي من بلدة بيت ريما برصاص الاحتلال في كفر عين شمال غرب رام الله صباح اليوم pic.twitter.com/ST6IIjcGID

— AlQastal القسطل (@AlQastalps) November 29, 2022

“The jeeps were successfully rescued by IDF forces who entered the town,” the IDF said.

There were no injuries among the troops, although damage was caused to the vehicles, according to the IDF.

#فلسطين | مواجهات عنيفة بين الشبان وقوات الاحتلال في بلدة بيت أمر شمال الخليل. pic.twitter.com/mWOD2Fj4W7

— غرب آسيا – عاجل (@WANbreaking) November 28, 2022

Tensions have been high in the West Bank over the past year, with the IDF launching a major anti-terror offensive mostly focused on the northern West Bank to deal with a series of Palestinian attacks that have left 31 people in Israel and the West Bank dead since the start of the year.

The operation has netted more than 2,500 arrests in near-nightly raids, but has also left around 150 Palestinians dead, many of them — but not all — while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces. At the same time, there has been a steep rise in settler attacks against Palestinians and security forces.

The IDF said Tuesday morning that troops had arrested two wanted Palestinians during overnight raids in the towns of Jaba’ and Kafr ‘Aqab.