Palestinian seriously wounded by Israeli rubber bullet fire, report says

Israeli security forces seriously wounded a Palestinian teenager early Sunday morning during a raid on al-Bireh, a town adjacent to Ramallah, the official Palestinian Authority news site Wafa reported.

Security forces entered al-Bireh after an Israeli bus came under fire Saturday night near the Beit El settlement, the report said. The Israel Defense Forces said the bus driver was lightly wounded in the shooting.

Security forces fired a rubber bullet at 16-year-old Fawaz Adel, seriously wounding him, medical and local sources told Wafa, adding that he was transferred to a nearby hospital.

The sources said the rubber bullet struck Adel’s head, fracturing his skull and causing internal bleeding.

The Wafa report did not say what Adel was doing when he was hit by the rubber bullet.

The IDF referred questions about Adel to the Border Police.

The Border Police did not respond to a request for comment about the Palestinian teenager.

Security forces also seized footage from cameras on a building in al-Bireh, where a Peugeot showroom is located, the Wafa report added.

Asked if security forces seized footage, the army declined to comment.

Following two terror attacks in December in the central West Bank, troops raided Ramallah and seized footage from several buildings’ security cameras.

In one of the terror attacks, seven people were wounded by gunfire, including a pregnant woman. Her baby was delivered prematurely in an emergency operation but died days later. In another attack days later, two Israeli soldiers were shot dead.

The Wafa report also said security forces went up to the rooftop of a local Palestinian’s home and raised an Israeli flag there.

The IDF said it was also looking into reports about the flag.