Palestinian teen dies from wounds in Gaza unrest

PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Israeli forensic policemen inspect the place where an Israeli man was stabbed by a Palestinian near the entrance to a mall at the Gush Etzion junction, a settlement bloc next to the Palestinian town of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank. — AFP

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian fatally stabbed an Israeli man near the entrance to a mall in the occupied West Bank yesterday before being shot by a civilian, officials said. No details were immediately provided on the identity of the Israeli, whose death was confirmed in a statement from Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek medical centre. Israeli media reported that he was 40.

Official Palestinian news agency WAFA described the attacker as a "young man" from the West Bank village of Yatta. It said he was not severely wounded. The incident took place at the Gush Etzion Junction south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, according to Israel's military, which provided the details of the stabbing. Video footage shared on social media purportedly showed the assailant approaching an older man near the mall entrance and stabbing him. He is then pursued by civilians and shot nearby.

There is regular friction between Israelis and Palestinians at the junction, which lies near a major Israeli settlement bloc and has been the site of numerous attacks. A wave of Palestinian knife attacks against Israelis broke out in 2015, but they have since become sporadic. On September 3, a Palestinian wielding a knife approached an Israeli military checkpoint near the hardline Kiryat Arba settlement in the Hebron area and was shot dead by soldiers, according to the army. There are concerns that tensions between Israelis and Palestinians will increase this month as Jews celebrate their high holidays and pay more visits to holy sites.

Palestinian teen dies

In another development, a Palestinian teenager has died after being shot by Israeli forces last month during protests and clashes along the Gaza border, the health ministry in the enclave said. Saheeb Abu Kashef, 16, died late Saturday after being shot on August 3 east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, according to the ministry. An Israeli military spokesman has meanwhile raised questions over the death of a 12-year-old Palestinian in the Gaza Strip during protests and clashes on Friday.

The health ministry said on Friday that Shadi Abdel Aal was killed by Israeli fire east of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. On Saturday, a friend who was with him at the time said they were throwing stones at the border fence when Abdel Aal was hit by a tear gas grenade fired by Israeli soldiers and collapsed instantly. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on Twitter that, according to "indications" and unnamed "witnesses," the boy was killed after being hit by stones that had been thrown. The army did not respond to a request for further details.

Ashraf Al-Qudra, spokesman for the Gaza health ministry, said yesterday that the ministry stood by its statement that the boy was killed by Israeli fire and that an autopsy would confirm further details. At least 179 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since protests and clashes erupted along the border on March 30. One Israeli soldier has been killed since then. Israel accuses Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, of seeking to use the protests to carry out attacks or infiltrations. It says its actions are necessary to defend the border. Palestinians and rights groups say protesters have been shot while posing little threat. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.- Agencies