Palestinian driver shot dead in alleged car-ramming attempt in West Bank

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian driver in the West Bank, Palestinian officials said on Saturday, in what the army described as a car-ramming attempt.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the young man, who was killed near Nablus, as Fawzi Hani, 18.

He was the second Palestinian to be killed by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank within hours in an continuing surge of violence that has gripped the region.

The Israeli army said the shooting happened after two Palestinian men tried to drive a car into soldiers at Sebastia around midnight on Friday.

The claim could not be verified. Soldiers opened fire, killing the driver and wounding the other.

Palestinian media quoted the victims’ family as saying the two did not target soldiers and were instead ambushed and their car was riddled with bullets.

Local media reported that Hani had just passed his high school exams and was in good spirits before the shooting.

One person was shot dead by Israeli forces in Nablus before dawn on Thursday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The shootings came as Palestinian fighters confronted Israeli soldiers and settlers in the area.

The spiral of violence, which shows no signs of abating, is one of the worst between Israelis and Palestinians in years.

More than 150 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the start of 2023 in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, according to a tally by AP.

Violence between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank intensified early last year when Israel expanded near-nightly raids into Palestinian areas in response to a spate of Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

Last month, the government introduced new legislation to accelerate Israeli settlement construction.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also visited Al Aqsa compound in East Jerusalem, angering both the Palestinians and Jordan, which oversees holy sites in the city.

Palestine's Foreign Ministry on Thursday renewed calls for international protection against Israeli incursions in Jerusalem, “particularly Al Aqsa” and holy sites in the West Bank.

The Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, territories Israel occupied in the 1967 war.

US-sponsored statehood talks collapsed in 2014 and show no sign of revival while Israel has maintained military rule over millions of Palestinians and expanded West Bank settlements, which most countries deem as illegal.