Israeli Troops Shoot Palestinian near Bethlehem

Israeli forces patrol near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
Israeli forces patrol near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
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Israeli Troops Shoot Palestinian near Bethlehem

Israeli forces patrol near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman
Israeli forces patrol near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank March 17, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man near the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said early Monday, the latest in a growing wave of violence that has erupted during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The Israeli military said it opened fire at a man throwing a firebomb at an Israeli vehicle driving on a West Bank highway late Sunday. The shooting raised to three the number of Palestinians killed in the past 24 hours, among them an unarmed woman who was shot and killed at a military checkpoint near Bethlehem, reported The Associated Press.

Ramadan this year converges with major Jewish and Christian holidays. Protests and clashes in Jerusalem during Ramadan last year boiled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza militants.

Israel has stepped up its military activity in the West Bank after Palestinian assailants killed 14 Israelis in four deadly attacks inside Israel in recent weeks. At the same time, it has taken a series of steps to try to calm the situation, including granting thousands of Palestinians from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip permits to work inside Israel.
Palestinian health officials identified the man killed in the latest shooting late Sunday as 21-year-old Muhammad Ali Ahmed Ghoneim.

Earlier Sunday, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian women. The Israeli army said one had stabbed and lightly wounded a policeman in the city of Hebron. The other was an unarmed woman who it said ignored warning shots and calls to stop as she approached a checkpoint near Bethlehem.

Palestinian assailants often carry out attacks at checkpoints in the West Bank. But Palestinians and human rights groups say the Israeli military often uses excessive force and in some cases has injured or killed people who were not involved in violence.

The European Union’s diplomatic mission to the Palestinian territories, accused Israel of using unacceptable excessive force in fatally shooting the unarmed woman. “This incidence must be swiftly investigated and the perpetrators be brought to justice,” it wrote on Twitter.

In a separate incident on Monday, the military said two Israeli citizens arrived at a West Bank checkpoint near the city of Nablus with gunshot wounds. Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported that the two had attempted to visit Joseph's Tomb, which had been vandalized a day earlier, and were attacked by unidentified assailants.

A day earlier, a group of Palestinians set the tomb ablaze before they were dispersed by Palestinian security forces. The shrine, located on the outskirts of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, is a frequent flashpoint site. Some Jews believe it is the burial place of the biblical Joseph, while Muslims believe it is the tomb of a sheikh.

The army escorts Jewish worshipers to the site several times a year, in coordination with Palestinian security forces.



Four Killed in Israeli Strike on Central Beirut Near Key Govt Buildings, Embassies

 Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)
Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)
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Four Killed in Israeli Strike on Central Beirut Near Key Govt Buildings, Embassies

 Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)
Rescue workers search for victims at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP)

At least four people were killed and 18 others were injured in an Israeli strike on central Beirut, the Lebanese caretaker health ministry said on Monday.

The strike late on Monday hit a densely populated residential area in Lebanon's capital close to the UN headquarters, Parliament, the prime minister’s office and several embassies.  

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two missiles hit the area of Zoqaq al-Blat neighborhood of Beirut. The strike comes following reports that the US envoy has delayed his visit for ceasefire talks.  

Ambulance sirens echoed through the area and a reporter with The Associated Press at the scene described significant casualties on the street.  

The target of the airstrike remains unclear, and the Israeli army did not issue a prior warning.  

Many areas in central Beirut, including Zoqaq al-Blat, became a refuge for many displaced by the ongoing conflict in southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut. The strike also occurred near a Hussainiya, a Shiite mosque.

It was the second consecutive day of Israeli strikes on central Beirut after more than a month-long pause.  

On Sunday, a strike in the area of Ras al-Nabaa killed Hezbollah media spokesperson Mohammed Afif, along with six other people, including a woman.  

Later that day, four people were killed in a separate strike in the commercial district of Mar Elias. Reports said it targeted leader of Hezbollah’s southern operations Mahmoud Madi.  

Israeli media did not have immediate comment.