Five Palestinians dead, soldier wounded as West Bank violence flares

Palestinian Territories: Israeli troops shot dead four Palestinians in the occupied West Bank Tuesday, Palestinian officials said, and a suspected car-ramming attacker was killed after wounding an Israeli soldier, Israeli medics and the army said.

The army confirmed its troops had fired on “rioters” who attacked soldiers in two separate clashes in the West Bank overnight.

A 20-year-old woman soldier was “moderately injured and evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment” following a suspected car-ramming north of Jerusalem, the army said.

Jerusalem’s Shaare Tzedek hospital confirmed the alleged attacker had been killed.

The West Bank has suffered spiralling violence this year, with near daily Israeli army raids leading to scores of deaths — of Palestinian fighters and also civilians — while Jewish settlers have been increasingly targeted by at times deadly Palestinian violence. In Kafr Ein, near Ramallah, two brothers were killed by Israeli fire, the Palestinian health ministry said.

A third man died of bullet wounds to the head fired by Israeli troops in Beit Ummar, while a fourth Palestinian died after being shot in the chest by Israeli soldiers on Tuesday afternoon during clashes north of Ramallah, the ministry said in seperate statements.

The Israeli army said “a violent riot was instigated by a number of suspects,” during “routine” overnight activity in the Kafr Ein area.

“The suspects hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails toward the soldiers, who responded with riot dispersal means and live fire,” an army statement said, adding that the military was “aware” of reports of two fatalities.

“The incident is under review,” the army said.

Palestinian Authority civil affairs minister Hussein Al Sheikh described the killing of the two brothers as an “execution in cold blood”.