Israeli forces have shot dead a Palestinian man after he allegedly attempted to stab a soldier at a checkpoint near the entrance of an illegal settlement in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, according to Israel’s military.
The Palestinian health ministry confirmed that 28-year-old Wael Abdulfattah al-Jaabari was killed on Monday by the entrance of Kiryat Arba, a Jewish settlement on the eastern outskirts of Hebron, the West Bank’s most populous city.
No Israelis were wounded.
A Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance was prevented from reaching the scene by Israeli soldiers who had blocked off the area, local media reported.
Kiryat Arba is home to a few hundred Jewish settlers who live under heavy army guard and among several hundred thousand Palestinians.
Settlements are considered illegal under international law and are a major sticking point for peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.
“A Palestinian assailant approached an Israeli security crossing near Kiryat Arba … with a knife in his hand. In response, IDF troops neutralised the assailant,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Following an initial inquiry: A Palestinian assailant approached an Israeli security crossing near Kiryat Arba, east of Hebron, with a knife in his hand. In response, IDF troops neutralized the assailant.
— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) September 3, 2018
Videos from the scene of the incident circulated on local news outlets and social media showed al-Jaabari lying on the floor, his body covered in blood and surrounded by Israeli soldiers and settlers.
One video appeared to show Israeli forces wrapping the 28-year-old’s body in a black plastic bag.
According to witnesses, the body was then loaded into an army vehicle that left the scene to an unknown location, Maan news agency reported.
Al-Jaabari is survived by his wife and two children, whose house is reportedly located about 15 metres away from the entrance of the settlement.
A number of local and international human rights groups have raised concerns that Israeli security forces have employed a “shoot-to-kill” policy when confronting Palestinians.
The Israeli police relaxed its open-fire regulations in December 2015, permitting soldiers to open fire with, live ammunition, on those throwing stones or firebombs as an initial option, without having to use non-lethal weapons first.
