Israelis, Palestinians wounded in Hebron clash allegedly sparked by settler attack

Two Israelis and 10 Palestinians were injured in clashes in Hebron overnight, according to competing accounts from the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian Red Crescent.

According to the IDF, troops were dispatched to an Israeli settlement inside the divided city overnight, following reports of gunfire in the area.

As the troops arrived, they identified a “confrontation” between Israelis and Palestinians, which included stone-throwing between the sides, the army says.

One of the Israelis opened fire into the air amid the clash, and two Israelis were injured by the stone throwing, according to the IDF.

“Later, Palestinian suspects gathered around the soldiers and attempted to attack them. The troops fired at two suspects and arrested several additional suspects,” the military says.

The Red Crescent says the settlers were accompanied by soldiers as they attacked Palestinians.

Bassam Jabari, a Hebron resident who was at the scene and spoke with The Times of Israel, says settlers approached Palestinian homes around midnight, threw stones at homes and cars, and also attempted to set cars on fire.

He says that several Palestinians who came out of their homes were shot by IDF troops. Those shot included his brother and nephew, he says. A video of the aftermath of the incident shows blood covering the ground as a man is loaded into an ambulance.

The IDF says that the incident is under further investigation.

The investigation is probing whether Palestinians tried to grab one of the soldiers’ guns during the later clash, according to a military source.

Jabari’s brother was taken to a Palestinian hospital. His nephew, he says, was taken by soldiers in a military ambulance to a hospital in Jerusalem.

It is unclear why he was taken there, though he may be considered a suspect in the incident.