The
rare internal violence followed months of intensifying Israeli
military raids on West Bank areas where Palestinian gunmen have
been been increasingly assertive, in a challenge to the
internationally-backed Palestinian Authority (PA).
Witnesses said PA security personnel men came to Tulkarm to free
up roads to its refugee camp, which gunmen had blocked as a
precaution against Israeli incursions. The PA said residents had
complained that the obstacles endangered passersby and a school.
In the ensuing gunfight, a Palestinian man, described by locals
as unaffiliated to the PA or armed groups, was shot dead.
Further details on the circumstances were not immediately clear.
Several gunmen posted a video accusing the PA of his killing.
"We will not keep silent at this act, which aids the occupation
forces in arresting and chasing the youths and those (on
Israel's) wanted list," one of the gunmen said.
The PA, contacted by Reuters, had no immediate response to the
militants' accusations.
Talal Dweikat, spokesperson for PA security services, said
gunmen had opened fire at the Tulkarm governorate, "prompting
security forces to intervene, taking necessary measures to
restore order".
Hundreds of Palestinians, mostly fighters but many civilians as
well, have been killed in Israeli raids since the latest wave of
violence erupted in early 2022.
In the same period, dozens of Israelis have been killed in
shootings, stabbings, or car-ramming attacks by Palestinians.
Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has also
surged.
In the latest incident, the Israeli military said its troops
shot a Palestinian motorist who rammed into them near the city
of Hebron on Wednesday, injuring a soldier. The Palestinian's
condition was not immediately published.
The PA, set up following the Oslo peace accords three decades
ago, exercises limited governance over parts of the West Bank.
Accused by Israel of being lax against Palestinian gunmen, it
says Israeli policies have weakened its sway.
(Reporting by Ali Sawafta. Additional reporting and writing by
Nidal al-Mughrabi, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
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