Palestinian killed after stabbing attack in Hebron
Palestinian shot and killed after stabbing Israeli guard in illegal settlement in Hebron, Israeli officials say.
A Palestinian man was shot and killed after a stabbing attack on an Israeli guard outside an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.
According to the Israeli army, Hamza Zaamara drove up on Wednesday morning to the entrance of the Karmei Tzur settlement, built on Palestinian lands belonging to the towns of Halhul and Beit Ummar, and stabbed a guard.
Zaamara, 19, was shot by another security guard and killed, the army said.
The wounded Israeli guard was taken to hospital where he was treated for minor injuries. Zaamara’s family home in Halhul was raided by Israeli forces in the aftermath of the attack. Zaamara’s father, Yousef, was arrested in that raid.
The incident marked the second one in two days. On Monday, a Palestinian reportedly stabbed a settler at the entrance of the Ariel settlement near Salfit and managed to escape. The settler later died from his wounds in hospital, while the Palestinian man’s whereabouts remain unknown.
The occupied West Bank has been in a state of turmoil for a month, following the killing of a settler rabbi in January. Israeli forces have carried out daily raids and increased the arrests of Palestinians in the hunt of the perpetrator.
On Tuesday, Israeli security forces announced that the case has been closed after they found and killed Ahmad Jarrar, who they say was behind the killing of the rabbi. Jarrar had gone into hiding for several weeks.
Mass protests against the Israeli army broke out in Jenin and Nablus, and another Palestinian was killed after being shot in the chest. According to the Palestinian ministry of health, a further 110 Palestinians were also injured, including 32 from live ammunition.