Israeli soldier killed during raid on Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank
Israeli soldier killed during raid on Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank
Israeli forces have stormed the Palestinian village of Yaabad following the killing of a soldier who was hit by a rock thrown from a building.
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Israeli forces conduct daily dawn raids of West Bank towns, villages and refugee camps [Getty]
An Israeli soldier was killed after being allegedly struck by a rock thrown by from the roof of a building, during a raid in the West Bank village of Yaabad on Tuesday morning, according to an army statement.
The military said that the 21-year-old soldier was hit in the head "during operational activity" in the Palestinian village near the northern city of Jenin.
Local media reported that the army returned to the town, raiding homes and firing tear gas and live ammunition at protesting villagers.
Four young men allegedly from the house where the rock was thrown were detained by Israeli soldiers. Two of the men were named in Palestinian media as Yazan and Anas Kamel Abu Shamla.
Residents clashed with the soldiers who fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets causing several cases of suffocation, the sources said.
The soldier was later identified as Amit Ben Ygal, who served in the elite Golani Brigade of the Israeli army.
The death came as Israel is poised to annex much of the occupied West Bank, despite warnings from the Palestinians that the move will kill the prospects of lasting peace.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to visit to Israel Wednesday for talks that will include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans for annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories.
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In an interview published Tuesday in pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom, Pompeo was quoted as saying that the plans would be discussed in his Jerusalem talks with the prime minister, but ultimately the annexation would be an Israeli decision.
"We will share our opinions in the best way possible," Pompeo told the paper.
"We've made clear what we believe meets the requirements of international law. We've made clear that Israel can make its legal decisions."
In January, US President Donald Trump published a widely panned plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that gives US blessing to Israel's annexation of large swathes of the occupied West Bank, even though the United Nations and the vast majority of the world's countries warned it would be a violate international law.
Agencies contributed to this report.
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