Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian women in separate incidents in the West Bank on Sunday, further heightening tensions between Israelis and Palestinians after weeks of deadly attacks. In a third incident, a Jew was shot dead in Israel after allegedly trying to steal a gun carried by a soldier.
In the first incident, on Sunday morning, a 47-year-old woman was shot as she approached a checkpoint near the West Bank village of Husan. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the woman as Ghada Sbatin, a widow and mother of six.
The Israeli army said the woman, whose name was not identified, was instructed by soldiers to stop as she approached the checkpoint. When she didn’t, soldiers fired warning shots into the air, the army said. Video of the incident appears to show the woman running as she advances, at which point, according to the army, soldiers “shot at the suspect’s lower body”.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the woman was taken to hospital but died after losing a lot of blood. The Israeli army says the soldiers found no weapons on the woman. Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh condemned the shooting, saying he holds the Israeli government “fully responsible for the consequences of this heinous crime”.
Later on Sunday, Israeli border police said a Palestinian woman who stabbed a police officer in Hebron was shot and killed. The incident took place near the holiest site in Hebron, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs and to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Police said the officer was slightly injured in the attack.
accentuated tensions
Tensions in Israel and the West Bank have been high for weeks after a series of Palestinian sniper attacks on Israeli civilians killed 14 people. Israeli soldiers carried out radical operations in the West Bank in response.
On Saturday night, Israeli security forces carried out a raid on the village of Yaabad – which they say is the home of the gunman who killed five people last month in the central Israeli town of Bnei Brak.
The army said it had “arrested eight suspects involved in terrorist activities and confiscated illegal weapons.” He also said he was attacked by local residents, including a suspect who “threw an explosive device” at the soldiers. The Palestinian Health Ministry said six people were wounded in the clashes, one by bullet and five by tear gas.
Also during Sunday night, a site believed to be the burial place of the Prophet Joseph in the West Bank city of Nablus was damaged by a group of Palestinians, Israeli officials said.
On Sunday night, in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, police said a Jew who tried to steal a gun from a female soldier was “neutralized” by another soldier who was nearby. Israeli media reports say the man was shot dead. He had a history of mental illness, according to reports.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has responded to calls to make it difficult for Palestinians to enter Israel illegally, announcing plans to build another 40 kilometers of what it calls the “sewing line barrier” – which separates Israel and the West Bank.
The new construction will be a concrete wall up to 9 meters high, a government statement said.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
