Palestinian teen killed, 3 Israeli troops hurt in separate West Bank clashes
IDF and Border Police say forces opened fire at rioters in Umm Safa and Beit Ummar; one officer hurt by improvised explosive device
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
A Palestinian teenager was killed and three Israeli security force members were lightly hurt in separate clashes in the West Bank on Friday afternoon, Palestinian health officials and the Israeli military said.
In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces and Border Police said masked Palestinians hurled stones and “life-threatening rocks” at Israeli forces in the West Bank Palestinian town of Umm Safa.
A Border Police officer opened fire at the Palestinian suspects, hitting at least one, the statement said.
The Palestinian Authority health ministry said two people were seriously wounded by gunfire in the village, one of whom later died.
The fatality was named by Palestinian media outlets as 17-year-old Muhammad al-Bayed from the nearby Jalazone refugee camp.
Separately, an IDF officer and two Border Police officers were wounded during clashes with Palestinians in the southern West Bank town of Beit Ummar.
#صورة للشهيد محمد البايض 17عاما، وهو من الجلزون، وقد أستشهد قبل قليل برصاص جيش الاحتلال في بلدة ام صفا برام الله.
لمتابعة آخر الأخبار عبر قناة نيو برس على تيلجرام https://t.co/6BCL5wgdFq pic.twitter.com/KiDg6OclEq
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) July 21, 2023
According to the joint statement, a Palestinian hurled an explosive device toward Israeli forces in the town, lightly wounding an on-duty IDF reservist officer.
A Border Police officer opened fire and hit the suspect who hurled the improvised bomb, the statement said. His condition was not immediately clear.
The IDF officer was taken to the Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem with shrapnel wounds to his leg, according to the Rescuers Without Borders emergency service.
Another two Border Police officers were lightly hurt by stones hurled by Palestinians in Beit Ummar, the statement added.
According to a tally by The Times of Israel, 154 West Bank Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year — most of them during clashes with security forces or while carrying out attacks, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under unclear circumstances.
