Gazan said to die of wounds after clashes with IDF
Ahmed Abu Helo, 19, was hurt in Friday’s border confrontation with Israeli forces, Hamas-run health ministry says
A Palestinian has died of wounds sustained last week during clashes with Israeli forces along the Gaza border, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Wednesday.
Ahmed Abu Helo, 19, died “as a result of wounds he received last Friday east of Rafah (in southern Gaza),” a health ministry statement said, adding he had been injured in clashes with Israeli forces along the border.
Clashes are common on Fridays, with an uptick in tensions since US President Donald Trump’s controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Terror group Hamas, which rules Gaza and seeks Israel’s destruction, called for a violent new intifada, and has allowed thousands of Gazans to face-off against Israeli troops at the border.
Since that December 6 announcement, which angered Palestinians who consider at least the east of the city as the capital of their future state, 26 Palestinians and two Israelis have died.
The violence ramped up over the weekend after four soldiers were injured by an explosive device attached to a flag on the border. Later Saturday, a house in the Israeli community of Sha’ar Hanegev sustained damage from a rocket fired from Gaza. No injuries were reported.
Israel responded by targeting 18 sites in Gaza, including Hamas posts and one target that the army said was managed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, thought to have been behind the explosive device.
The targets included observation posts, an attack tunnel and Hamas weapons factories, the army said.
The Gazan health ministry said at the time that two Palestinians were killed.
