Palestinian throwing rocks at Israeli vehicles in West Bank shot dead by IDF

The Israel Defense Forces said late Sunday that it had foiled “a terror attack” in the West Bank, opening fire on a group of Palestinians throwing rocks at passing Israeli vehicles. One of the Palestinians was killed and another wounded.

The army said the incident occurred at the Ni’lin Junction south of the city of Qaliqilya.

“IDF troops spotted a number of suspects hurling rocks at Israeli vehicles driving on the highway,” the army said. “The troops fired towards the suspects after they hurled a rock and were preparing to hurl additional rocks.”

Pictures from the scene showed one of the vehicles hit with a smashed windscreen and a large rock. There were no reports of injuries to the motorists.

“One of the suspects was killed by the fire and another was injured and escaped,” the army said, adding that troops are searching the area.

Recent weeks have seen a dip in West Bank violence with both Israel and the Palestinians imposing closures and limiting movement to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.