Israeli settler gunfire kills man in West Bank: Palestinian health ministry

RAMALLAH: The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli settlers shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the third victim of deadly gunfire in two days.

The ministry said 25-year-old Awda Atef Awawdeh was killed by settler gunfire in the central West Bank town of Deir Dibwan, just east of Ramallah.

The Palestinian Red Crescent earlier reported that an individual was being transported to hospital after being "wounded by live gunfire in the back during an attack by settlers" in Deir Dibwan.

In a post on X, the Palestinian Authority's government media office reported that Israeli forces had detained Palestinian residents of Deir Dibwan, sharing footage appearing to show dozens of men walking in a line along a road.

When asked by AFP about the incident, the Israeli military — which has occupied the West Bank since 1967 — said it received a "report of Israeli civilians who had entered the area" without prior army authorization.

Troops "acted to prevent confrontation, ... transferred (the Israeli civilians) to the police," and "detained (Palestinian) suspects involved in stone-throwing toward the Israeli civilians, who were later released," the military said.

It added that it later received a report "regarding a Palestinian who was killed by gunfire," and that an investigation was opened by the police.

The PA said Israeli settler gunfire on Tuesday killed 14-year-old Aws Hamdi al-Naasan and Jihad Marzouq Abu Naim, 32, in the village of Al-Mughayyir, also in the central West Bank.

They were among the latest victims of surging violence involving Israeli settlers, which has spiked across the West Bank since the start of the Middle East war on February 28.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it was examining the incident in Al-Mughayyir.

It said soldiers were dispatched to the area "following a report of rock hurling towards an Israeli vehicle carrying several civilians, including a reserve soldier, who exited the vehicle and opened fire at suspects in the area."

It said troops arrived at the scene and "acted to disperse the violent confrontation," without providing further details.

According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,065 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Official Israeli figures say at least 46 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.