Palestinian killed after car allegedly flees troops, hits soldier in West Bank

Army says it tried to stop car carrying three illegal workers near Qalqilya; unclear if fatality, Rabi Arfah a-Rabi, 32, was the driver

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Illustrative: The West Bank security barrier is seen near the Palestinian city of Qalqilya. (Flash90)
Illustrative: The West Bank security barrier is seen near the Palestinian city of Qalqilya. (Flash90)

A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli troops near the West Bank city of Qalqilya on Saturday afternoon, with the military saying he’d been in a car that hit a soldier as it fled from troops who sought to question the driver.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, troops attempted to stop a vehicle carrying three illegal Palestinian workers, who had been picked up after crossing from Israel into the West Bank through the “seam zone” — an area located east of the Green Line but west of the border of the security barrier.

As troops sought to question the driver, the vehicle fled, hitting and lightly wounding a soldier, the IDF said, adding that he did not require hospitalization.

The military said troops opened fire at the vehicle after it hit the soldier, and it was aware of a Palestinian man being hurt by the gunfire.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry identified the man as 32-year-old Rabi Arfah a-Rabi.

The ministry said he was brought to a hospital in Qalqilya in critical condition with a gunshot wound to his head.

It was not clear if a-Rabi was the driver or one of the passengers.

The IDF said it was searching the area for additional suspects, and would further investigate the incident, which came amid heightened tensions in the West Bank.

Also on Saturday afternoon, a young Israeli man was stabbed and seriously hurt in East Jerusalem.

The alleged stabber, a teenager from a West Bank town near Jerusalem, was shot by officers and captured.

Earlier Saturday, a Palestinian driver slammed into a guard post at a crossing in the northern West Bank, in what Israeli authorities described as a suspected ramming attempt.

Israeli troops have continued to carry out an anti-terror campaign launched earlier this year after 19 people were killed in a string of attacks.

Four soldiers have been killed in the West Bank in attacks and during the arrest operations.

Over 120 Palestinians have also been killed, many of them while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces — but some have been uninvolved individuals.

Most Popular
read more: