Israeli forces kill 4 Palestinians in a day as tensions heighten

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire over the past 24 hours has risen to at least four, with dozens of others wounded amid heightened tensions in separate areas of the occupied West Bank.

Israeli forces on Thursday shot and killed two Palestinians during a demonstration in Jenin against the demolition of a Palestinian home.

One of those killed was named by official Palestinian news agency WAFA as 19-year-old student Yazan Abu Tabekh. The second was identified as Palestinian policeman Tareq Badwan.

The Israeli army said the raid was to demolish the home of Ahmad Qanba, a Palestinian charged with aiding a Hamas cell in the West Bank.

Heavy clashes broke out with young Palestinians throwing rocks at the Israeli troops, witnesses said. The army said its forces had “identified a number of armed terrorists who hurled explosive devices and fired towards them. The forces responded with riot dispersal means”.

However, Jenin Governor Akram Rajoub said the slain police officer had been standing outside a nearby police station when he was shot.

Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Ramallah, said surveillance footage showed the police officer was not participating in violence.

“It appeared to be that he was just looking and not doing anything,” said Ibrahim.

Also on Thursday, a Palestinian citizen of Israel was shot and killed after opening fire at Israeli police in Jerusalem’s Old City, lightly wounding one officer, according to police.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, Israeli forces shot and killed 17-year-old Mohammed al-Haddad during clashes in Hebron.