Palestinian killed in clashes after Israeli troops’ vehicles break down near Hebron
IDF forces extract soldiers from Beit Ummar, after gunmen open fire, others hurl stones and explosive devices
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Israeli troops whose military vehicles broke down near the West Bank city of Hebron late Monday clashed with a group of Palestinians and required support from forces to safely withdraw from the area, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said one Palestinian was killed and another eight were injured in the incident, which occurred in Beit Ummar near the Hebron area.
The IDF said the two jeeps, on a routine patrol, got stuck in the city due to “technical malfunctions.”
Palestinians opened fire, and others threw stones and explosive devices at the soldiers, who responded with live fire and other riot dispersal means, the military said.
“The jeeps were successfully rescued by IDF forces who entered the town,” the IDF said.
There were no injuries among the troops, although damage was caused to the vehicles, according to the IDF.
An edited video said to be from the scene and circulating on social media showed about a dozen or so Palestinian youths hurling rocks from a side street and onto a main road where an Israeli military vehicle quickly goes by. This is followed by sounds of gunfire.
A different clip edited into the video shows a close-up of two IDF jeeps moving to drive away as bursts of fire erupt near them, presumably the IEDs exploding. A third clip shows more stone-throwing by Palestinian youth.
https://twitter.com/WANbreaking/status/1597345069698527233
The IDF said the overnight incident was being investigated.
Tensions have been high in the West Bank over the past year, with the IDF launching a major anti-terror offensive mostly focused on the northern West Bank to deal with a series of Palestinian attacks that have left 31 people in Israel and the West Bank dead since the start of the year.
Hebron is in the southern part of the territory.
The operation has netted more than 2,500 arrests in near-nightly raids, but has also left around 150 Palestinians dead, many of them — but not all — while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces. At the same time, there has been a steep rise in settler attacks against Palestinians and security forces.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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