Palestinian killed near Israeli checkpoint and five arrested in raids

Israeli forces say man had hurled grenade before being shot dead

Bilal Qadah, shot and killed by Israeli soldiers near Ramallah on Monday, was accused of throwing a grenade at Israeli forces. Photo: Wafa

A Palestinian man was killed after “throwing a grenade” at Israeli forces at a checkpoint outside the village of Deir Nitham near Ramallah, the Israeli army said on Monday.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified him as Bilal Ibrahim Qadah, 33, from the village of Shuqba. He was shot and killed by Israeli forces, the ministry said.

The Civil Affairs Authority informed the Ministry of Health that Mr Qadah was killed near an Israeli army checkpoint at the southern entrance to the village of Deir Nitham.

Palestinian news outlet Al Sahera posted a video purportedly showing an ambulance being blocked from reaching Mr Qadah, while Israeli news outlet Kan published a photo of a man it said was Mr Qadah lying dead near a white Nissan.

The Israeli army has yet to comment on the incident.

Earlier, Israeli forces detained five Palestinian men during raids on camps in Jerusalem and Hebron, as well as two who were detained after forces stormed their homes in Jerusalem, the Palestinian state news agency Wafa reported.

The Israeli army said weapons were also found.

There has been a sharp rise in violence in the West Bank this year, starting with an Israeli raid on Nablus in February which killed 11 people including children during an arrest operation to capture four militants. More than 100 others were wounded.

Apache helicopters were used for the first time in 22 years, since the second Intifada, or uprising in a move which drew international condemnation, including from the UN.

Last month, a 15-year-old girl was fatally shot while filming an Israeli armoured vehicle passing her home during an “arrest operation” that turned deadly in the Jenin camp.

Last week in the Jenin camp, 12 people were killed and more than 100 others were injured in a similar operation.

The Palestinian Red Crescent which has been working on the ground to treat the wounded reported that Israeli forces had blocked paramedics from reaching those in need.

On Sunday, it published a video of one of its paramedics negotiating with Israeli soldiers in Jenin, to allow him to reach someone in need of urgent medical assistance. In one instance, the Red Crescent said, “Israeli occupation forces … deliberately collided with the front of the ambulance, pushing it backwards, making it unable to transfer the patient”.

“Ambulances and first responders should enjoy safe access to deliver emergency care to civilians in armed conflict,” the Red Crescent said.