Palesitnians mourn Awda Atef Awawdeh Deir Dibwan, killed by an Israeli settler in the central West Bank town [Getty/file photo]
The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli settlers shot dead Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, the third victim of deadly gunfire in two days.
The ministry said 25-year-old Awda Atef Awawdeh was killed by settler gunfire in the central Weat Bank town of Deir Dibwan, just east of Ramallah.
The Palestinian Red Crescent earlier reported that an individual was being transported to hospital after being “wounded by live gunfire in the back during an attack by settlers” in Deir Dibwan.
When asked by AFP about the incident, the Israeli military – which has occupied the West Bank since 1967 – said it was looking into the reports.
In a post on X, the Palestinian Authority’s government media office reported that Israeli forces had detained Palestinian residents of Deir Dibwan, sharing footage appearing to show dozens of men walking in a line along a road.
The PA said Israeli settler gunfire on Tuesday killed 14-year-old Aws Hamdi Al-Naasan and Jihad Marzouq Abu Naim, 32, in the village of Al-Mughayyir – also in the central West Bank.
They were the latest victims of surging violence carried out by Israeli settlers which has spiked across the West Bank since the start of the Middle East War on 28 February, and since the war in Gaza in October 2023.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it was looking into the incident in Al-Mughayyir.
It claimed soldiers were dispatched to the area “following a report of rock hurling towards an Israeli vehicle carrying several civilians, including a reserve soldier, who exited the vehicle and opened fire at suspects in the area”.
It said troops arrived at the scene and “acted to disperse the violent confrontation”, without providing further details.
According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,065 Palestinians, in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war.
