On Friday evening, Israeli soldiers shot and killed Fawzi Moukhalifa, an 18-year-old Palestinian, near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said Saturday morning.
The Israeli army evokes an “attempted ram attack”. In a statement, the occupation forces added that “the (Israeli) forces responded by shooting at the suspects who were in the vehicle, the driver was neutralized”. The army added that another “suspect” had been arrested.
At least 198 Palestinians killed since January
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, following a series of Palestinian attacks on Israeli settlers and violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians.
Mukhlafia was the second Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank on Friday. Mohammed al-Bayed, 17, was shot dead near the city of Ramallah, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israeli border police said that “violent disturbances” had broken out, “during which suspects threw stones and explosives” against the Israeli forces, which at that time consisted of police and soldiers.
At least 198 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the year in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as 27 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian, according to an AFP count established from official sources. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. About 490,000 Israelis live in this territory in settlements considered illegal under international law.