Soldier lightly hurt in clash with Palestinians near Ramallah

An IDF soldier was lightly injured Monday morning during a clash with Palestinians who threw rocks and homemade explosive devices at the troops outside of Ramallah, an army spokesperson said.

The troops were conducting “routine activities” in the area, near al-Am’ari refugee camp outside of Ramallah in the West Bank, the IDF said, when dozens of local Palestinians began pelting them with homemade explosives and stones.

“The soldiers called for the demonstrators to stop the violence, using riot dispersal means,” a spokesperson said.

As the demonstration persisted, the troops fired live rounds at “main instigators,” the IDF said.

During the clash, 28 Palestinians were injured to varying degrees, some from tear gas inhalation and others from rubber bullet wounds, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry.

Israel Radio, citing Palestinian sources, said five were wounded by live fire.

The wounded soldier was taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment, the army said.

Though many of the rioters fled the scene shortly after the IDF switched to live-fire rounds, the demonstration continued into the afternoon.

The soldiers had been in the refugee camp in order to arrest an arms dealer named Ayman Abu Arab, who was not at home, according to the Palestinian Ma’an news site.

On Sunday night and Monday morning, soldiers arrested 10 Palestinians in the West Bank on suspicion that they had taken part in violent demonstrations or other forms of “popular terrorism,” a catch-all term used by the IDF to include rock- and Molotov cocktail-throwing.