Israeli army says Palestinian fires on Israel troops, is shot dead

The alleged assailant has been named as Bilal Adnan Rawajbah - a captain in the Palestinian security services.

1 min read

04 November, 2020

A Palestinian reportedly shot at Israeli soldiers [Anadolu via Getty]

A Palestinian who shot at Israeli troops near Nablus in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday was killed when soldiers returned fire, Israel's army said.

"Troops who were at a military post adjacent to the southern exit of the city of Nablus spotted an assailant driving out of the city armed with a pistol who fired at them, and responded with fire... The assailant has been neutralised," a statement said.

An army spokesperson confirmed to AFP that the suspect was killed.

No Israeli soldiers were injured.

Palestinian security sources named the dead man as Bilal Adnan Rawajbah, 29, and official Palestinian news agency WAFA said he was a captain in the Palestinian security services.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation accused Israel on Twitter of his "extrajudicial execution" and called for the International Criminal Court and the international community "to hold Israel accountable".

Israeli forces, who have occupied the West Bank since 1967, are regularly targeted in the Palestinian territory.

Read more: Israeli army demolishes home of alleged Palestinian attacker

Typically young Palestinians use knives, cars and - less frequently - guns to attack Israeli troops.

This story was updated to include the alleged assailant's identity and the Palestinian reaction.

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