IDF: Palestinian man attempts to ram soldiers with car, is shot dead

No servicemen injured in attempted attack in southern West Bank, amid uptick of violence

Illustrative: Israeli soldiers disperse Palestinian demonstrators during an anti-Israel demonstration over tensions in Jerusalem, at the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, in the West Bank, May 11, 2021. (ABBAS MOMANI/AFP)
Illustrative: Israeli soldiers disperse Palestinian demonstrators during an anti-Israel demonstration over tensions in Jerusalem, at the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, in the West Bank, May 11, 2021. (ABBAS MOMANI/AFP)

The Israel Defense Forces said soldiers opened fire at a Palestinian man who was attempting to commit a car-ramming attack near Dahariyya Junction in the southern West Bank on Saturday night.

According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, the man, who has yet to be publicly identified, died of his wounds.

There were no reports of injuries among the Israeli soldiers.

Violence in the West Bank has increased since terror groups in the Gaza Strip began firing rockets at Israel on Monday, setting off the worst flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in seven years.

The IDF said Friday that forces shot and killed a Palestinian assailant who attempted to attack a soldier at the entrance to a military post near the West Bank settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah. There were no reports of Israelis hurt in the incident. The suspect first attempted to ram the soldier stationed at the military post with his vehicle, and then got out and tried to stab him, the military said.

Soldiers stand by the scene of the suspected car-ramming and stabbing attack near a military post near Ofra in the West Bank on May 14, 2021. (Courtesy / Ofra Youth)

Also Friday, at least nine West Bank Palestinians were killed by Israeli live fire during violent clashes with the IDF, the Palestinian Authority health ministry said. Palestinians threw rocks, Molotov cocktails and shot fireworks at several locations across the West Bank, according to the IDF. Israeli soldiers responded with riot dispersal means and, in some cases, live fire.

According to the IDF, some 3,000 Palestinians participated in the riots. The IDF said live fire had been used at some of the sites, including to target “main rioters.”

Palestinian protesters clash with Israeli security forces in the West Bank city of Hebron, May 14, 2021. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

On Wednesday, a Palestinian man tried to stab Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint in the southern West Bank city of Hebron and was shot by troops at the scene.

The army on Tuesday said a would-be Palestinian gunman was killed and another was seriously injured after pulling a weapon on troops at Tapuah Junction. But according to Army Radio, the incident was a case of mistaken identity and it remains unclear whether the Palestinians were armed. Both were members of Palestinian intelligence services, a Palestinian security source told AFP, without giving further details.

Last Friday, three Palestinians opened fire toward a Border Police base in Israeli territory near the northern West Bank, with two of the attackers killed and one wounded when officers on the scene returned fire. The assailants were believed to be headed toward Jerusalem to carry out a terror attack in the city but were halted by Israeli security forces.

Earlier this month, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire toward Israeli civilians at the Tapuah Junction in the West Bank, resulting in the death of 19-year-old yeshiva student Yehuda Guetta and in the injury of two others.

The attack on Friday came amid renewed fighting between Israel and Gaza terror groups, with over 2,300 rockets fired from the enclave since Monday night, killing 10 in Israel. The IDF has responded with airstrikes on Gaza, which have killed 119 according to the Hamas-run health ministry

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