Man accused of killing stone-throwing Palestinian in West Bank fight is off-duty IDF soldier — army

The man accused of killing a Palestinian man near the West Bank village of Duma earlier today is an off-duty IDF soldier, the military says.

The IDF said the victim, identified by the Palestinian Authority health ministry as Thameen Dawabshe, 35, threw stones at the off-duty soldier and an Israeli civilian.

According to the IDF, the incident took place during “civilian engineering work” near Duma. “Dozens of Palestinian terrorists hurled stones at an off-duty IDF soldier and an Israeli civilian who were at the location,” the military says.

Official PA news outlet WAFA quotes Duma’s mayor as saying that the clash erupted in response to earthworks on village land carried out by Israelis in recent days.

35-year-old Thameen Khalil Reda Dawabsheh succumbed to his wounds after being shot by colonists during an attack on the village. pic.twitter.com/cHfdUg4Unl

— WAFA News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) August 13, 2025

The IDF says that the soldier initially fired into the air in response to the stone-throwing. “The terrorists continued to hurl stones, and in response, the soldier responded with live fire to remove the threat. A hit was identified,” the military says.

“Following this, the terrorists attempted to snatch the soldier’s weapon,” according to the military.

The military says that upon receiving a report of the incident, additional troops were dispatched to the scene.

The soldier and the civilian were lightly injured by the stones and were treated at the scene, according to the IDF and medics.