Armed Palestinian shot dead by IDF troops in West Bank
Military says suspect hurled grenade, opened fire with makeshift gun at forces on road near Neve Tzuf settlement, causing no injuries
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An armed Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli troops in the central West Bank on Monday morning, the military said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, troops of the Kfir Brigade’s 94th “Duchifat” Battalion identified a suspicious vehicle on Route 450, close to the Palestinian village of Deir Nidham and the Israeli settlement of Neve Tzuf, also known as Halamish.
The IDF said that as troops approached the vehicle to question him, the Palestinian man got out of his car, hurled a grenade and opened fire at troops with a makeshift “Carlo” submachine gun.
The soldiers “returned fire and neutralized him,” the IDF said, adding that no Israeli soldiers were hurt in the attack.
Footage from the scene showed the Palestinian suspect lying on the ground with the makeshift firearm, next to a white Nissan car without license plates.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry said it was informed of the man’s death, indicating his body was held by Israeli authorities. He was named as 33-year-old Bilal Qadah.
تغطية صحفية: صورة المشتبك بلال إبراهيم قدح والذي ارتقى بعد تنفيذه عملية إطلاق نار وإلقاء قنبلة صوب قوات الاحتلال قرب قرية دير نظام. pic.twitter.com/0ZmdxqMli6
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) July 10, 2023
The Mateh Binyamin Regional Council said in a statement that Route 450 was closed between the settlements of Neve Tzuf and Nahliel following the incident.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been high across the West Bank for the past year and a half, with the military carrying out near-nightly raids, amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.
Since the beginning of this year, Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have killed 25 people.
According to a tally by The Times of Israel, 152 West Bank Palestinians have been killed during that time — most of them during clashes with security forces or while carrying out attacks, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under unclear circumstances.
