Palestinian truck driver shot dead after killing Israeli soldier
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Roshan Amiri
- . August 31, 2023
- . Update: August 31, 2023 4:56 pm
A Palestinian truck driver, who killed an Israeli soldier on Thursday, was shot dead during an ensuing pursuit, according to Israeli police.
The truck driver killed the Israeli soldier in a ramming attack on a checkpoint near the West Bank, a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediterranean in Western Asia.
According to Israeli officials, the incident reportedly took place at Maccabim checkpoint in the West Bank. The incident injured three Israeli officials, according to the Israeli military. Later on, one Israeli soldier died, as reported by medical officials.
Israeli police said in a statement, “The police received a report about a hit-and-run incident near the Maccabim checkpoint.” The truck driver was reportedly neutralized near the Hashmonaim checkpoint.
Initially, the police said that the truck driver was shot in Nilin, a Palestinian town in the Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate in the West Bank. Later on, he was pronounced dead. The police described the whole incident as a terrorist attack. Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic organization, described the incident as an “heroic operation.” However, the group did not claim responsibility for the attack.
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On Wednesday, four Israeli soldiers were also injured by an explosive device detonated by Palestinians in Nablus, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. The Israel Defense Forces said that four Israeli soldiers were wounded because of the recent attack. They were reportedly taken to the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, a city in the Central District of Israel.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian teenager was shot dead by Israeli forces in East Jerusalem. The Israeli authorities said that the teenager tried a stabbing attack at a light rail station. The Palestinian Wafa news agency said that the Israelis “directly shot towards the child, killing him in cold blood.”
Violence in the West Bank
Violence has increased across the West Bank in recent years. The ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians affected the residents in the West Bank.
The Israeli authorities repeatedly conduct raids into the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. The West Bank also witnessed a rise in Palestinian shooting attacks against Israeli civilians. In June, eight Israeli soldiers were severely injured after a massive explosive device was detonated by Palestinians in Jenin, a Palestinian city in the Israeli occupied West Bank.
According to the United Nations, over 200 Palestinians have been killed so far this year in the occupied Palestinian territories. The UN has also said that 2023 could be the deadliest year for Palestinians.
