Jerusalem, Sept 8 (ABC): A Palestinian teenager was killed in the occupied West Bank Thursday after what the Israeli army said was an attack on a soldier, the fourth deadly incident in the territory in as many days. The army said the assailant “attacked a soldier with a hammer, injuring him in the face” during routine operations outside the town of Baytin, near Ramallah. “The soldier responded with live fire toward the suspect and neutralised him,” a spokesperson said, adding that he had been killed.
The Palestinian health ministry said it had been informed of “the death of a citizen by the Israeli occupation army’s bullets”. It identified him as 17-year-old Haytham Hani Mubarak. Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that six Palestinians had been arrested in an overnight raid in Jenin refugee camp, a flashpoint in the northern West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had treated 12 people for injuries following a separate raid by the Israeli army in Nablus. Israel has stepped up operations in the northern West Bank in particular after a wave of attacks against Israeli targets killed 19 people, mostly Israelis, in March.
It has carried out near nightly raids on Palestinian-administered towns and cities, that have sparked frequent clashes with residents. On Wednesday, a Palestinian was killed during an Israeli raid in al-Fara camp near Jenin. Two more were killed during incursions earlier this week into Jenin and Qabatiya to its south. Armed forces chief Lieutenant General Aviv Kohavi said Monday some 1,500 wanted people had been arrested in the raids and “hundreds of attacks” prevented in recent months.