Two Palestinian youths killed after opening fire at IDF soldiers
IDF reports 16 overnight arrests throughout the Palestinian territories
Palestinian media reported the deaths of two youths in the town of Qabatiya, near the Palestinian city of Jenin early this morning.
Palestinian media alleged that Israel Defense Forces soldiers fired upon the occupants of the car, apparently unprovoked, however the IDF said the suspects opened fire at IDF soldiers first.
Shortly after the killing, Palestinian Islamic Jihad posted photos of one of the youths, showing him carrying a gun and wearing PIJ paraphernalia.
The IDF said they entered the town to arrest a wanted suspect, when their forces came under fire from the vehicle. IDF troops responded with live fire, hitting and killing the two young men.
Israeli forces found two weapons in the vehicle, an M-16 rifle and a handgun.
Several Palestinian factions claimed to have participated in the attacks on the soldiers, including the use of explosive devices.
In videos posted to social media, local Palestinian youth can be seen throwing rocks at IDF vehicles and explosions are heard in the background.
The IDF reported 16 overnight arrests throughout the Palestinian territories.
One of the youths, Rani Waleed Qatanat, uploaded a video to social media recently claiming, “We will perform a shooting attack within 48 hours at close range.”
In the last few years, an increasing number of male teenagers are joining Palestinian terror groups and participating in attacks on Israeli soldiers. While using children for purposes of combat is against international law, the United Nations has yet to condemn Palestinian terror groups.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
