The Palestinian Health Ministry in the West Bank confirmed in an emailed press statement that a woman and a young man were shot dead by Israeli troops’ gunfire outside the Israeli army checkpoint of Qalandia.
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Police spokesperson Luba Samri said the pair were shot with deadly force after walking through driving lanes of the checkpoint.
“Witnesses said it appeared that Ibrahim attempted to grab his sister’s hand and move away from the officers, when they opened fire on her. Maram fell to the ground and when Ibrahim attempted to aid her, he was shot in his tracks”, Ma’an added.
In fact, 64 percent of Palestinians indicated they have no interest in working with like-minded Israelis to find a non-violent solution. Many others were shot dead in clashes and protests.
Separately, scuffles broke out between Palestinians and Israeli security at the al-Aqsa mosque compound after Jewish visitors apparently tried to pray there, in violation of current visitor rules.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces denied Palestinian paramedics access tothe woman for medical treatment, the agency reported.
“In many incidents, they [Israeli soldiers] actually committed extrajudicial killings, particularly at checkpoints and military points”, he said.
The deadly confrontation risks reigniting a half-year surge of violence that has been on the wane. Israeli forces have killed at least 193 Palestinians, 130 of whom Israel says were assailants.
Human rights advocates have also voiced concern.
In recent months, Palestinian educators have started discouraging stabbing attacks, and security forces have started to check youths for weapons.
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Qalandiya and the adjacent crossing between the West Bank and Israel have been frequent hotspots of conflict in the recent wave of violence that has rocked Israel since September.
