Palestinian killed, another seriously wounded in clash with IDF in West Bank

Military says it used live rounds against ‘main instigators’ during violence in Qarawat Bani Hasan; another Palestinian shot after allegedly firebombing bus in South Hebron Hills

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

Wounded Palestinians who were injured during clashes with Israeli security forces in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, arrive at a hospital, October 15, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
Wounded Palestinians who were injured during clashes with Israeli security forces in the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, arrive at a hospital, October 15, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)

A Palestinian man was killed and another was seriously wounded in clashes with the Israel Defense Forces in the West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian health officials said.

The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry initially reported that five Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire during the clashes near the town of Qarawat Bani Hassan, two of them seriously. Qarawat Bani Hassan is a Palestinian town near the Israeli settlements of Ariel and Karnei Shomron in the northern West Bank.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday, the ministry said one of the Palestinians seriously wounded, identified as Mujahed Ahmad Daoud, 31, had died of his injuries.

The IDF said dozens of Palestinians hurled stones at troops in the area, injuring one soldier lightly who did not require hospitalization.

Troops responded with riot dispersal means, and fired live rounds at “main instigators,” the IDF added.

Separately, on Saturday evening, IDF troops shot at a Palestinian man who hurled a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli bus near the Zif Junction in the South Hebron Hills area of the West Bank, the military said.

The man’s condition was not immediately clear and there was no immediate comment from the Palestinian Authority Health Ministry.

In another incident Saturday, an Israeli man called security forces claiming to have been shot by Palestinian gunmen near the West Bank town of Luban a-Sharqiya.

The IDF and medics scanned the area but did not locate the scene of the attack or the man who reported being wounded. A security source said the incident appeared to be a false call.

Tensions have risen sharply in the West Bank, with two soldiers killed in separate shooting attacks last Saturday and Tuesday, one near Jerusalem and the second near Nablus.

Israeli forces have ratcheted up arrest raids and other counterterror efforts in the West Bank since a spate of terror attacks against Israelis in the spring killed 19 people.

Illustrative: Israeli troops conduct searches in the West Bank, October 12, 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)

More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli operations this year, many of them while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces.

In recent months, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly attacked military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.

On Friday night, Palestinian gunmen affiliated with the Hamas terror group opened fire at the settlement of Beit El, injuring one. One of the gunmen was killed by troops, and the second was arrested several hours later. Another two men suspected of aiding the pair were also detained.

The rising West Bank violence has also spread to Jerusalem, where Palestinians have clashed with Israeli police and civilians.

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