Palestinian man, teenager killed by Israeli forces in Hebron as scores injured in West Bank protests

Two people were shot and killed in and around the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, as Palestinians continued protests against Israel’s attacks on Gaza and recent assaults in Jerusalem.

At least 97 Palestinians were injured in protests in the West Bank on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

Dozens were wounded by live or rubber bullets or by inhaling tear gas, according to local sources.

Protests broke out in Bethlehem, Nablus, Al-Bireh, and East Jerusalem, among other cities. In Jerusalem, Israeli security forces arrested eight Palestinians and beat protesters, also using rubber bullets, stun grenades, and skunk water.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli troops shot Islam Zahida, a Palestinian man in the Old City of Hebron, where approximately 600 Israeli settlers live among more than 30,000 Palestinians.

The Israeli army said in a statement that it "neutralized" Zahida after he allegedly opened fire on soldiers with a submachine gun, without giving further information.

Aref Jaber, a local activist, told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service that Israeli troops fired over the heads over journalists covering the incident and used sound bombs to disperse them.

Israeli forces later stormed Zahida’s home in the Old City and arrested his brother and father. 

On Monday evening, 17-year-old Obaida Akram Jawabra was shot by Israeli troops while attending a protest in the Al-Arroub refugee camp, north of the city.

After he was shot, sources said that Israeli troops prevented ambulances from reaching him, but he was later taken to a hospital in the nearby town of Beit Fajjar in a private car.

Medical staff were unable to resuscitate the teenager and he died in hospital.

Jawabra had previously starred in a short film Obaida, released by the NGO Defence for Children in 2019.

Obaida Akram Abdurrahman Jawabra, 17, was killed by Israeli forces with live ammunition today around 8 p.m. in Al-Arroub refugee camp near the occupied West Bank city of Hebron. Obaida sustained a gunshot wound to his chest. https://t.co/7Gv0kNE2RU

— Defense for Children (@DCIPalestine) May 17, 2021

In the film he discussed his experiences of being imprisoned by Israeli forces on two previous occasions, saying that soldiers beat him during his detention.

Israeli planes also continued to pound the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, launching dozens of airstrikes. At least 213 people have been killed in the besieged Palestinian coastal territory since last week, including 61 children, with 1,500 wounded.

Twelve people in Israel have been killed and at least 300 wounded as a result of rocket attacks by Gaza-based Palestinian factions.