‘Israeli’ settler gunfire kills Palestinian man in West Bank
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
The Palestinian health ministry said ‘Israeli’ settlers shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the third victim of deadly gunfire in two days.
The ministry said 25-year-old Awda Atef Awawdeh was killed by settler gunfire in the central West Bank town of Deir Dibwan, just east of Ramallah.
The Palestinian Red Crescent earlier reported that an individual was being transported to hospital after being "wounded by live gunfire in the back during an attack by settlers" in Deir Dibwan.
In a post on X, the Palestinian Authority's government media office reported that ‘Israeli’ forces had detained Palestinian residents of Deir Dibwan, sharing footage appearing to show dozens of men walking in a line along a road.
When asked about the incident, the ‘Israeli’ military -- which has occupied the West Bank since 1967 -- said it received a "report of Israeli civilians who had entered the area" without prior army authorisation.
Troops "acted to prevent confrontation, ... transferred [the settler] to the police," and "detained (Palestinian) suspects involved in stone-throwing toward the Israeli civilians, who were later released," the military claimed.
It added that it later received a report "regarding a Palestinian who was killed by gunfire", and that an investigation was opened by the police.
The PA said ‘Israeli’ settler gunfire on Tuesday killed 14-year-old Aws Hamdi al-Naasan and Jihad Marzouq Abu Naim, 32, in the village of Al-Mughayyir, also in the central West Bank.
They were among the latest victims of surging violence involving ‘Israeli’ settlers, which has spiked across the West Bank since the start of the Middle East war on February 28.
The ‘Israeli’ military said on Tuesday it was examining the incident in Al-Mughayyir.
It said soldiers were dispatched to the area "following a report of rock hurling towards an Israeli vehicle carrying several civilians, including a reserve soldier, who exited the vehicle and opened fire at suspects in the area".
It said troops arrived at the scene and "acted to disperse the violent confrontation", without providing further details.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, ‘Israeli’ troops or settlers have killed at least 1,065 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
