Palestinian said shot dead in clashes with IDF troops in protest against outpost

A 27-year-old Palestinian man was killed by live fire during clashes with Israeli soldiers near the West Bank town of Beita, the Palestinian Authority health ministry reported Friday.

Palestinian officials identified the man as Mohammad Khabeisa, a Beita resident.

According to the health ministry, Khabeisa was shot in the head. Palestinians evacuated him to al-Najah Hospital in Nablus, where he died of his wounds.

Another eight Palestinians were wounded by rubber-coated bullets, the Palestinians’ official Wafa news agency reported.

The Israeli army in a statement said that its forces had responded to violent clashes near the Evyatar outpost where hundreds of Palestinians participated, including some who burned tires and threw stones at troops.

The military said it was aware of reports regarding a Palestinian killed and that it was investigating the incident.

Beita residents have been holding regular protests near neighboring Evyatar for the past several months in protests of the illegal outpost’s establishment on what they say is private Palestinian land. Israeli authorities have not yet determined whether that is the case, but have not objected to the outpost’s illegal establishment.

The wildcat community initially consisted of several dozen Israeli families and homes, but the former agreed to vacate in a July agreement with the government, which saw the outpost illegal structures remain intact and the army establish a permanent presence on the hilltop.

Identified as Mohammed Ali Khabeisa pic.twitter.com/CDiERwAi25

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 24, 2021

Meanwhile, the protests continue. More than 700 Palestinians have been injured and with Friday’s reported death, the number of Palestinians killed since the unrest erupted in May climbed to at least eight, according to the Palestinian health ministry.