IDF probes death of Palestinian paramedic,
Army thwarts infiltration attempt from Gaza, ramming attack near Hebron
The IDF is investigating the shooting death on Friday of Gazan paramedic Razan al-Najjar during violent protests along the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip.
The IDF said Palestinian terrorists had attacked troops with gunfire and a grenade and the army had returned fire in accordance to the open-fire regulations.
“Cases in which a civilian is alleged to have been killed by IDF fire are thoroughly investigated by the relevant command echelons and examined by the General Staff’s debriefing mechanism, and this will be done with regard to the current allegations,” read a statement provided to The Jerusalem Post.
The military said it is “constantly working to draw operational lessons to reduce the number of casualties” along the border fence, and has repeatedly warned citizens not to approach the fence and take part in the violence demonstrations. However, it added, Hamas “unfortunately methodically places young children and women on the front lines of violent disturbances to act as human shields for the realization of Hamas’s goals.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health said 21-year-old Razan Ashraf al-Najjar, from the Khan Younis-area town of Khuzaa, was shot in the stomach while providing first aid to wounded demonstrators near the fence on Friday evening.
According to the Palestinian news site Wafa, Najjar was 100 meters away from the security fence when “all of a sudden she was targeted by an Israeli sniper’s gunfire despite wearing a clearly visible white coat.”
The Gazan Health Ministry has said that 119 Palestinians have been killed by IDF fire and more than 13,000 have been wounded. Najjar is the second woman and second medic to have been killed by IDF fire during the violent protests which began on March 30.
Gazan Health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said more than 100 protesters were injured on Friday, the majority from teargas and 40 by live ammunition.
Gazans have been protesting along the border with Israel for the past seven weeks as part of what organizers have called the “Great March of Return.” Demonstrators have been throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and rocks toward Israeli troops and flying incendiary kites into Israeli territory with the aim of arson.
Fires broke out in several spots along the Gaza border area over the weekend. Four air tankers and 12 firefighting teams were dealing with the blazes in the Karmia Nature Reserve, Ynet news reported.
On Saturday, the IDF said several Palestinians infiltrated into Israel territory from the southern part of the Gaza Strip and tried to sabotage security infrastructure. The men fled back to Gaza after IDF troops opened fire.
“The Hamas terror organization is trying again and again to turn the border fence area into an area of violence and fighting both underground and above ground. The IDF will not allow this and will continue to act to ensure the safety of the residents of the State of Israel,” read a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.
Also on Saturday, a 37-year-old Palestinian was killed in the West Bank after he attempted a vehicular ramming attack against IDF troops near Hebron.
The man was identified as local construction worker Rami Wahid Sabarneh from the town of Beit Ummar.
Maan News quoted a local activist Aaref Jaber as stating Sabarneh “was driving a Bobcat excavator while another worker walked next to him. Israeli soldiers asked them to stop when he was at least 10 meters away from them. The walking worker stopped, but Sabarneh apparently did not hear the soldiers and continued on his way so they opened fire at him until he was killed.”
The IDF said soldiers acted to stop Sabarneh according to the army’s rules of engagement, during which he turned around and attempted to run over civilians at the scene. Another soldier, standing on the roof of a nearby building, identified the threat and shot dead the suspect.