Palestinian teenager shot dead while stoning Israeli cars in West Bank — IDF
Shots fired at police position near Jerusalem-area checkpoint as clashes renew in Shuafat refugee camp, with security forces already on high alert following deadly shooting attacks
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
An 18-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire near the al-Aroub refugee camp on Wednesday, Palestinian and Israeli officials said, as tensions spiked across the West Bank.
According to the Palestinian Authority health ministry, the young man, identified by Palestinian media as Osama Mahmoud Adawi, was shot amid clashes with Israeli troops.
The Israel Defense Forces said Adawi was hurling stones at Israeli cars.
According to the IDF, several masked men threw rocks at cars driving on Route 60, the West Bank’s main north-south highway, near the refugee camp north of the Palestinian city of Hebron.
“The IDF responded by shooting at them,” the military said in a statement, adding that a “hit was identified.”
The clashes came at a time of rising violence in the West Bank, where two soldiers were killed in shooting attacks on Saturday and Tuesday, one near Jerusalem and the second near Nablus.
#صورة الشهيد أسامة محمود عدوي ( ١٨ عاماً ) برصاص الاحتلال الحي في البطن بمخيم العروب. pic.twitter.com/rO7esxX28y
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) October 12, 2022
On Wednesday evening, police said Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a Border Police position at the Qalandia crossing near Jerusalem, without causing any injuries.
The troops stationed in the area returned fire and were searching for the suspects who fired from the nearby town, according to police.
There were no immediate reports of Palestinian injuries in the exchange of fire.
#شاهد جانب من اشتباك مسلح بين مقاومون وجيش الاحتلال على حاجز قلنديا بالقدس المحتلة pic.twitter.com/NHCanZVYwB
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) October 12, 2022
The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday morning imposed a closure on Nablus following the Tuesday attack that killed Staff Sgt. Ido Baruch, as troops continued to search for the alleged gunman, who fled the scene.
Police forces also clashed with Palestinians in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem for the fourth day in a row, during searches for Udai Tamimi, allegedly the gunman who shot Sgt. Noa Lazar to death at a nearby checkpoint on Saturday.
Footage showed officers launching tear gas and sound grenades at a crowd that was reportedly demonstrating against the heavy police presence in the area.
تغطية صحفية: " #شاهد الاحتلال يقمع الوقفة الاحتجاجية على حاجز مخيم شعفاط بالقدس" pic.twitter.com/doqVvztM7K
— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) October 12, 2022
Clashes were also reported in other areas of the West Bank and East Jerusalem throughout Wednesday.
In East Jerusalem’s Issawiya neighborhood, police said two officers were lightly hurt after Palestinians hurled pipe bombs during clashes in the evening hours.
Earlier Wednesday, five suspects were arrested for rioting elsewhere in East Jerusalem, police said.
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.
More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli operations, 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.
In Jerusalem on Wednesday, a 17-year-old Israeli was left lightly hurt after Palestinians allegedly hurled stones at him in the Old City, medics said.
According to the Magen David Adom ambulance service, the teen was escorted from the Bab Hutta neighborhood to the Lion’s Gate area by police officers after the attack.
He was then taken to the Shaare Zedek hospital in the capital with injuries to his face, MDA said.
