Israeli forces fatally shoot two Palestinians in occupied West Bank, Jerusalem
Israeli soldiers fatally shot two Palestinians in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem on Saturday, official sources have reported.
The Palestinian killed in the occupied West Bank was shot dead at a checkpoint, Palestinian health officials said.
The Israeli military alleged that its troops were trying to detain a vehicle after its passengers had crossed "illegally" into Israel. It said the vehicle fled and hit a soldier, after which "the soldiers fired toward the vehicle".
One of the passengers died at hospital, Palestinian hospital officials said. The victim's father told Palestinian Qudsnet news that his son was headed for work when he was shot. It was unclear whether he had a work permit for entry into Israel.
In Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian neighbourhood, Israeli police said they shot and "neutralised" a Palestinian who had stabbed and badly wounded an Israeli. Video circulating on social media showed the Palestinian lying wounded at a playground where children had been playing soccer, as an armed police officer stood over him.
Israel's crackdown in the West Bank has escalated in recent months, occasionally spilling over into Jerusalem.
Israeli forces shot dead a 19-year-old Palestinian overnight on Friday during an operation in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. The teen was fatally shot in the neck while three others were wounded, the Palestinian health ministry said at the time.
On Thursday, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy succumbed to his gunshot wounds, a month after he was shot by Israeli military forces.
More than 120 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem this year, making 2022 the deadliest year since 2015.
This week, UN-appointed commission of inquiry concluded that Israel's "permanent occupation and de-facto annexation" violated international law.
US-brokered talks aimed at ending Israel's decades-old occupation and establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of revival.
Israel holds an election on 1 November with Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who in September backed a two-state deal with the Palestinians, competing against former hawkish premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who has gone back and forth on the issue.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
