Israeli settler kills Palestinian teenager in Huwwara rampage

A young Palestinian man was killed on Friday as Israeli settlers attacked the occupied West Bank town of Huwwara, just hours after Israeli forces killed another Palestinian in the area, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported. 

A settler shot 19-year-old Labeeb Mohammed Dmaidi in the heart, after dozens of settlers carried out attacks on Palestinian property in Huwwara under the protection of Israeli troops, according to Wafa.

The settlers damaged homes and buildings, and confronted Palestinian locals, who gathered to fend off the attacks. 

Wafa later reported that Dmaidi's funeral was also attacked by Israeli soldiers, wounding at least eight people.

The Israeli military's account of the killing differed - it said that a Palestinian threw a rock at a soldier, who fired back, adding that "a hit was identified". 

A spokesperson for the Israeli military further told Reuters that it was not aware of a settler having fired a weapon. 

The Israeli army said that it intervened with "riot dispersal means to defuse the confrontation" between the Israeli settlers and Palestinian residents. 

The Palestinian Red Crescent said it treated at least 58 people who had suffered from tear gas inhalation.

The military added that it had received reports of "vandalism of the properties of Palestinian residents of the town by Israeli civilians".

Earlier on Thursday night, Israeli forces tracked down and shot dead a Palestinian man who they suspected of firing shots at an Israeli family in a vehicle in Huwwara. No members of the family were harmed. 

The Palestinian man was not immediately identified by authorities. 

Bloody year

In February, Israeli settler attacks were carried out on several Palestinian towns in and around Huwwara, with homes and property burnt, after two Israelis were killed while driving through the town. At least one Palestinian was killed and nearly 400 wounded in the attacks.

This year has been one of the bloodiest in the occupied West Bank for Palestinians in two decades. 

At least 197 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in 2023 so far, including 27 children. Another 37 have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including seven children. 

Palestinians have killed at least 30 Israelis in the same period, including six children.