MEE Staff
Middle East Eye / January 17, 2023
Local media says Hamdi Shaker Abu Diya, the 11th Palestinian shot dead in the West Bank in six days, was a member of the PA security forces.
Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian man after he allegedly opened fire at troops north of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday.
He was identified as Hamdi Shaker Abu Dayyeh, 40, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israeli army radio station said Abu Diya shot at soldiers stationed near an entrance to Halhul town, using an improvised submachine gun (known locally as Carlo). The troops returned fire and killed Abu Dayyeh, the army added.
There were no immediate reports of Israeli casualties.
Palestinian media said Israeli troops prevented medics from reaching Abu Dayyeh after he was shot. They added that he was a member of the Palestinian Authority security forces.
Israeli forces killed 11 Palestinians in the last six days. So far this year, 15 Palestinians have been killed, including four children.
Omar Lotfi Khumour, a 14-year-old boy, was killed on Monday in Bethlehem.
At least 167 were killed last year in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, the highest death toll since the Second Intifada.
In March 2022, Israel launched the “Break the Wave” military campaign, focused on crushing armed Palestinian resistance that has seen a revival in the West Bank.
According to figures provided by the Israeli army, there have been at least 285 shootings at Israeli targets – mainly army posts and checkpoints – by Palestinians in 2022, compared to 61 in 2021, 31 in 2020 and 19 in 2019.
