Palestinian man killed in shootout with Israeli soldiers near Nablus

Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A wanted Palestinian man was killed in shootout with Israel Border Police in front of his home near Nablus in the West Bank.

The IDF surrounded the home of wanted Fatah member Zakaria al-Akra, 24, early Monday morning, and began damaging the walls with gunfire and a bulldozer in order to make him come out, according to Ynet, citing unnamed Palestinian sources.

Al-Akra fired on the soldiers, injuring two, and was killed in the shootout. Security forces found weapons inside the house, Ynet reported.

Israel accuses Al-Akra of shooting and injuring an Israeli soldier a few weeks ago, according to the Palestinian Maan news service.

The death comes less than a day after a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was killed by Israeli soldiers during a riot near Hebron. Palestinian protesters threw rocks at soldiers who fired back at them, wounding the boy who died later in a local hospital.

The Israel Defense Forces have opened an investigation in the boy’s death.