IDF troops shoot at Palestinian rock throwers in West Bank

IDF troops opened fire at a group of Palestinian youth throwing rocks at cars on Route 60 near Silwad in the West Bank on Saturday night, the army said.

After receiving reports of teenagers pelting passing cars with stones, the soldiers arrived to force them away. “The soldiers called for them to disperse, firing warning shots in the air,” an IDF spokeswoman said.

When the youth ignored the soldiers warning shots, and continued throwing rocks at the passing vehicles, the troops fired at the rock throwers, who then fled the scene.

The army said it did not know whether any of the teenagers were hit, but Palestinian media reported that one was lightly injured.

Earlier Saturday, a Palestinian man was shot in the leg after he allegedly attempted to attack a security guard at the Oranit checkpoint in the West Bank.

The man apparently began attacking the guard after he was caught trying to cross a security fence without a permit, the Walla news site reported. The man’s condition was not immediately known.

Earlier Saturday, four people were stabbed in a terror attack in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, Israel Police reported.

A manhunt is currently underway for at least one assailant who stabbed the four people in a rampage beginning outside a soccer stadium in the city, before fleeing the area.

The attacker is believed to have been injured after being hit by a car while fleeing, according to Hebrew media reports.

Police were looking into the possibility that there was more than one assailant. A police helicopter arrived on the scene to aid in the search.