Palestinian shot dead by settlers in Hebron-area settlement, body handed over to medics

Date: 17 / 04 / 2009  Time:  09:36
Bethlehem - Ma’an/Agencies -

An armed Palestinian was shot dead after entering an illegal Israeli settlement in the West Bank Friday morning, news sources reported.

Residents of the Hebron-area settlement of Haggai were patrolling the area when they saw a Palestinian man walking around the Israeli-military secured area. Two settlers approached the man and reportedly struggled with him, at which point he pulled out a knife, according to one account.

Both men then tried to shoot the Palestinian. The Israeli news network Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a settlement official as explaining that one of the shooters “had a stoppage in his gun,” and was unable to shoot the Palestinian, so “the other man neutralized the terrorist and killed him.”

Israeli military officials declared a state of allert in all West Bank settlements following the incident, fearing retaliatory attacks.

The body of the as yet unidentified young man was handed over to Palestinian medics Friday morning.

Infant succumbs to wounds sustained during latest Israeli strike on Gaza

Date: 17 / 04 / 2009  Time:  10:50
Gaza – Ma’an –

An infant from Gaza City seriously injured in Israel’s latest airstrike on the Strip Wednesday night succumbed to his injuries overnight.

Palestinian medical sources identified the baby as four-month-old Ayham Karim Eid; he had inhaled poisonous fumes released during Israel’s attack on a home in Gaza City Wednesday night. He was taken to hospital where medical crews stabilized him, but his conditioned worsened and he passed away.

Palestinian killed after allegedly infiltrating into an illegal Israeli settlement near Hebron

Friday April 17, 2009 11:32 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC& Agencies

Israeli military sources reported on Friday morning that a Palestinian man, carrying a knife, infiltrated into Beit Haggai illegal Israeli settlement, was shot dead by armed settlers manning the outpost.

The Israeli occupation army reported that the man was spotted in the settlement around 7 A.M, and the so-called “local alert squad” shot and killed him.

An Israeli occupation army spokeswoman said that the infiltrator is in his twenties, and that he “intended to car out an attack in the settlement.

She added that one settler was mildly wounded after being stabbed during the attack.

Directly after the incident, Israeli soldiers sealed the area and initiated a search campaign.

 The “alert squad” unit is formed by armed settlers who guard the outpost.

One of the guards said that he and a neighbor of his spotted the Palestinian walking between the houses in the outpost.

The guard said that his friend shot and killed the Palestinian man after he drew a knife when he was ordered to identify himself.

It is worth mentioning that the army handed the body of the Palestinian man to Palestinian medics who transferred the body to the Hebron hospital. He remained unidentified until the time of this report.

The Israeli army increased the alert level and advised the settlers not o tour outside of their settlements fearing additional attacks.