A Palestinian man has been shot dead by Israeli forces following an alleged stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, the Palestinian health ministry said.
Witnesses told local media on Friday that Israeli troops opened fire at the man in Beit Einun, northeast of Hebron, and barred medics from entering the area after an Israeli soldier was allegedly stabbed.
Shortly afterwards, the Wafa news agency reported that confrontations broke out between the Palestinians and armed Israeli soldiers in the area, which is adjacent to an illegal Jewish settlement.
Israeli soldiers hurled sound bombs and tear gas canisters at the Palestinians who were attempting to reach the Palestinian man. Videos showed him laying on the floor after being shot, with several soldiers preventing people from reaching him.
Witnesses said Israeli soldiers then placed the Palestinian man inside an ambulance, without providing details on the nature of his wounds to which he succumbed.
The incident comes a day after the Israeli army killed two Palestinian men during two separate raids in the West Bank – one in al-Ain refugee camp in Nablus and the other in Umm al-Sharayet, a neighbourhood south of Ramallah and el-Bireh.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces for allegedly attempting to carry out stabbing or car-ramming attacks. Palestinian rights groups accuse Israeli forces of deliberately killing Palestinians even though there is no risk to their lives.
Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international laws. Successive Israeli governments have built and expanded settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories – a move Palestinians say is aimed at demographic change.
There are between 600,000 and 750,000 Israeli settlers living in at least 250 settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, often under heavy Israeli military protection.
