Vehicular attack leaves two Israelis injured, one Palestinian dead

Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian Wednesday after he carried out a suspected vehicular attack that left two Israelis injured near the Halhul junction north of Hebron, emergency services and witnesses said.

A witness told Ma'an that he “saw two Israeli soldiers on the ground bleeding after they were apparently run over by a Palestinian vehicle,” adding that “one bullet was fired at the Palestinian vehicle by a soldier.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed to Ma'an that the Palestinian in the vehicle was shot dead.

Israeli media identified the Palestinian shot by Israeli soldiers following the incident as a 22-year-old male from the Tulkarum area.

A Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance was reportedly prevented from approaching the site, witnesses said.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that those injured in the hit-and-run were Israeli border police, but had no further information on the incident.

Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said that a 20-year-old Israeli was severely injured and another left with moderate injuries.

Clashes erupted in the area between Palestinian youth and Israeli forces following the incident and a local resident of Halhul, Mohammed Rabah, told Ma’an that all entrances of Halhul had been closed.

Israeli forces also closed the nearby Nabi Younis street following the incident and prevented traffic from crossing through to Bethlehem.

Seventy-two Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the beginning of last month, many of whom were shot dead during attempted, alleged, and actual attacks on Israeli military and civilians.

At least nine Israelis have been killed in attacks by individual Palestinians during the same time period.

Israeli forces shot and killed Ahmed Awad Abu al-Rub, 16, near the al-Jalama checkpoint north of Jenin on Monday after allegedly attempting to attack Israeli soldiers with a knife.

Two separate stabbing attacks were carried out by Palestinians later in the day, leaving four Israelis injured, according to the Israeli army.