Palestinian killed during Israeli West Bank raid
June 9, 2022 08:00 PM
A Palestinian died on Thursday after being shot in the stomach by Israeli forces during what the army described as a "counter-terrorism" operation in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian health ministry said 27-year-old Mahmud Fayez Abu Ayhour was killed in Halhul, north of the flashpoint city of Hebron. The Red Crescent had earlier reported several injuries following unrest in Halhul.
The army told AFP that security forces "conducted counter-terrorism activities to confiscate terror funds in the town of Halhul".
It said the operation was concentrated in a store "suspected of being a focal point" for resources linked to the Hamas Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip but also has a presence in the West Bank.
More than 1.1 million Israeli shekels ($328,000) was confiscated, the army added.
"During the operation, dozens of Palestinians hurled explosive devices, Molotov cocktails and rocks at the soldiers, who responded with riot dispersal means and live fire. A hit was identified," the army continued, without commenting specifically on the Palestinian fatality.
In recent weeks, the Israeli army has been conducting near daily operations across the West Bank, making multiple arrests.
The most recent operation, conducted overnight, involved nine arrests, the army said.
Nineteen people, mostly Israeli civilians -- including 18 inside Israel and a Jewish settler -- have been killed in attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs since late March.
Israeli security forces have responded with raids inside Israel and in the West Bank, particularly in and around Jenin. Three Israeli Arab attackers and an Israeli police commando have been killed.
Forty Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank -- suspected militants but also non-combatants, including an Al Jazeera journalist who was covering a raid in Jenin and bystanders.
Separately in Gaza on Thursday, the army reported that gunshots fired from the Israeli-blockaded strip landed in a field inside Israel. No one was injured.