Palestinian man shot, seriously hurt after allegedly grabbing IDF officer’s gun
Military says troops try to disperse gathering near West Bank town of al-Khader, after soldiers allegedly assaulted by suspect they sought to question
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian man was shot and seriously wounded after allegedly attempting to grab an officer’s gun in the West Bank on Wednesday, the military and Palestinian health officials said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, troops conducting “routine inspection activity” near the town of al-Khader, close to Bethlehem, were assaulted by a Palestinian man who they sought to question.
A military spokesperson told The Times of Israel that the soldiers used riot dispersal means and live fire in the air following the assault.
Shortly after, a crowd began to gather around the soldiers, and at one point one Palestinian man “grabbed at an IDF officer’s weapon in a suspicious manner,” the spokesperson said.
The troops used live fire against the man, the spokesperson added.
The suspect was not armed and did not manage to snatch the officer’s firearm.
???? #عاجل: شاهد قوات الاحتلال تطلق النار على شاب فلسطيني عند مفترق الخضر جنوب بيت لحم بزعم محاولته تنفيذ عملية دهس pic.twitter.com/9uG6QOUDbG
— بوابة الهدف (@hadafps) May 3, 2023
The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry said the man was brought to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to his pelvis and shrapnel in his chest and abdomen.
He was undergoing surgery and listed in serious condition, the ministry said.
No soldiers were hurt in the incident.
Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have been high for the past year, with the Israeli military conducting near-nightly raids in the West Bank amid a series of deadly Palestinian terror attacks.
Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have killed 19 people since the beginning of the year and left several more seriously hurt.
At least 96 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year, most of them while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under circumstances that are being investigated.
