Israeli army forces Wednesday killed a Palestinian man after bombarding and razing a house he was fortified in during a raid into Surif town, northwest of Hebron, said a municipal source and WAFA correspondent.
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Unverified reports claimed the suspect – an Islamic Jihad militant – was killed in the operation.
Rabbi Michael “Miki” Mark was killed when his vehicle crashed after being fired on near Hebron on 1 July.
The Palestinian man who killed a rabbi and father of ten in a West Bank ambush almost a month ago was killed during a shoot out with Israeli security forces.
The house targeted and damaged during the fighting, was then demolished by an Israeli bulldozer.
The military also released footage of the operation, including video of the house Faqih was allegedly hiding in being hit by anti-tank missiles and bulldozed. We responded and the terrorist was killed in battle. Weapons were found on his body, the military said, adding that three others were arrested, including one who belonged to the official Palestinian security forces. Several hundred Israeli settlers live in the heart of the city under heavy military guard among around 200,000 Palestinians.
Spokesperson for the Israeli army Avichay Adraee said in a statement in Arabic that Israeli troops exchanged fire with Muhammad Faqih after surrounding the house.
The United Nations relief agency working with Palestinian refugees has said that Israel’s closure of a Hebron district amounts to “collective punishment” and warned of the humanitarian impact.
Islamist group Hamas identified the man killed in the raid as Mohammad al-Fakih and it said he was a member of its armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades.
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Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since last October has killed at least 217 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Others were shot dead during protests and clashes, while some were killed in Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.
