The IDF has launched an investigation into the shooting of an unarmed Arab man on Friday afternoon by IDF troops near Ramallah. The Military Police Investigative Unit will be investigating the death of Iyad Hamad, a 38-year-old father of three from Silwad. Hamad charged at troops in a guard post near the settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah.
According to IDF reports, Hamad ran at the soldiers, ignoring repeated orders to halt. They then opened fire, killing him. No IDF soldiers were injured no signs of gunfire were found on the guard post.
Channel 2 News reported that the IDF was on high alert since early last week due to reports that a Palestinian suspect had left his home with the intention of carrying out an attack. The alert was cancelled on Friday morning, before Hamad was killed.
On Wednesday, a Palestinian man was shot and killed near Shechem (Nablus) while attempting to stab an IDF soldier. According to Ma’an News Agency, a Palestinian news service, 220 Palestinians have been killed since last October. At least 32 Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians in the same period of time.
