Off-duty soldier suspended for firing at Palestinians who allegedly threw stones at him

An off-duty soldier has been suspended for opening fire on Palestinians after he allegedly came under stone-throwing in the West Bank yesterday, the military says.

The IDF says troops had been dispatched several times to the village of al-Mughayyir on Saturday, following reports of clashes between Israeli settlers who invaded the village and Palestinian residents.

The clashes had included stone throwing and stone barriers placed on roads, according to the IDF, which did not specify which side was to blame.

The troops “acted to disperse the confrontation and remove the roadblocks,” the army says, adding that they also came under stone-throwing amid the incident.

Later, the army says it received a report of an off-duty soldier who said Palestinians hurled stones at him on the outskirts of al-Mughayyir.

The off-duty soldier returned fire at the Palestinians while no other troops were in the area, the army says, adding that it is unaware of any injuries caused by the gunfire.

The soldier was then detained by police officers and taken for questioning over the shooting. The army adds that the soldier was suspended until the incident has been investigated.