Israel forces kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank, Gaza

Three Palestinians were killed yesterday in the occupied West Bank and in the Gaza Strip, one after allegedly attempting to run down Israeli soldiers and two in clashes with troops.

The violence spread to the Gaza Strip, controlled by Islamist group Hamas, where Palestinians massed at the fenced-off border with Israel on Friday, throwing rocks at troops beyond.

The brother of a Palestinian teenager who died in October is among three more Palestinians killed by Israeli fire today, authorities have said.

Near Hebron, a large West Bank city where both anti-Israel activism and friction with Jewish settlers are strong, a Palestinian motorist tried to ram troops at a checkpoint who then shot him dead, the army said.

The health ministry said that the Palestinian death toll climbed to 121 since the outbreak of the current wave of violent tension between Israel and the Palestinians in the Palestinian territories early October. Since Oct 1, near daily attacks and clashes between Palestinians and soldiers have killed 116 on the Palestinian side, 17 Israelis, an American and an Eritrean.

Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for Gaza’s Ministry of Health, said the victim, Sami Shawqi Madhi, was shot in the chest and died on the spot.

After yesterday’s protest, clashes broke out between Palestinian stone throwers and Israeli soldiers, with six Palestinians wounded, an AFP correspondent said.

The army said that, during “routine activity in Ramallah”, troops were attacked and responded with “riot dispersal means”.

There were no Israelis injured in the alleged attack at the Gilboa crossing near Jenin, according to ministry spokeswoman Arielle Heffez.

No Israelis were injured and the military did not specify how close the driver allegedly came to the troops. Irshaid’s 17-year-old sister Dania was killed six weeks ago after trying to stab security forces, according to Israeli police.

Earlier, a Palestinian gunman opened fire at soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint before he was wounded and fled the scene, according to the Israeli defense ministry. The suspect was identified by the military as Mahmad Abd El Halim Abd El Hamid Salam.

Israel has withheld the corpses of many attackers, a policy authorities say acts as a deterrent but critics argue leads to more anger. The Shin Bet intelligence agency said that he confessed to carrying out the assault and Salam is a part of Hamas from the West Bank village of Luban.

The body of a Palestinian wounded by Israelis is seen on the ground in the occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron) in this October 16, 2015 photo. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.

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