Four Palestinians shot dead by Israel in 24 hours

Another Palestinian has been shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the flashpoint West Bank city of Hebron, the fourth such incident in less than 24 hours.

The victim was identified as 28-year old Hatem al-Shloody, a resident of Tel Rumeida, as was 16-year-old Mohammed Rajabi, who was shot dead a day earlier.

A military statement claimed the man drew a knife during a routine security check in Hebron's Tel Rumeida neighborhood and wounded a soldier.

"In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death," the statement said.

Sources told The New Arab that Shloody's house was raided and his brother was arrested shortly after.  

On Friday, Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank killed two Palestinians and a Jordanian national after they allegedly attempted to carry out violent attacks.

In the first incident, Israeli forces opened fire on a man, later identified as Saeed Amro, a 28-year-old Jordanian national, in the Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, killing him on the spot.

Local sources told The New Arab that Israeli troops "shot a hail of bullets at the young man who was walking close to the city's Damascus Gate, and left him to bleed on the ground for a long time".

Shortly afterwards, two Palestinians travelling in a car were shot by Israeli forces, one of them fatally, near the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank.

A fourth man was killed overnight Thursday, also in Hebron, after Israeli forces raided his home.

Senior Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi condemned Israel's actions.

"Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and wilful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions," she wrote in a statement Saturday.

"We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively and to hold Israel accountable with punitive measures before it is too late."

In the Gaza Strip on Friday, a Palestinian medical official said that Israeli troops at the border fence east of Gaza City shot and slightly wounded three Palestinian youths.

An army spokeswoman claimed they had been rioting.

Occupation must end

World powers have criticised Israel's continued settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

More than 500,000 Israelis now live in outposts that the international community considers illegal.

"Despite warnings by the international community and the region, leaders on both sides have failed to take the difficult steps needed for peace," Ban said on Friday.

"Let me be absolutely clear: settlements are illegal under international law. The occupation, stifling and oppressive, must end," he added.

Ban also praised former Israeli president Shimon Peres, the last of Israel's founding fathers, who suffered a major stroke this week.

The veteran Israeli leader won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat for his role in negotiating the Oslo peace accords.
Agencies contributed to this report.