Clashes Again Occur In West Bank, One Palestinian Dies

Illustration of clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. (Wikimedia Commons/Israel Police)

JAKARTA - Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers occurred near the city of Qalqilya, West Bank, Friday, April 29, local time. One Palestinian was reported dead.

The victim is a 27-year-old youth named Yahia Odwan. He died during a clash in Azoon Village.

Apart from Odwan, three other people were injured, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities did not immediately comment on the incident.

However, the Israeli media reported that Odwan was an ex-convict who had just been released from an Israeli prison. He is claimed to have tried to attack Israeli soldiers, who then chased and opened fire on his car.

Odwan's death coincided with a shooting attack carried out by Palestinian armed groups near the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the West Bank, Israeli media said.

An Israeli security guard was killed and Israeli soldiers and security services conducted a massive search for suspects.

On April 26, a Palestinian and three others were injured in an arrest raid in the West Bank by Israeli forces.

Israel is known to have stepped up military operations in the West Bank, where Palestinians seek an independent state, after a spate of deadly street attacks in Israeli cities last month.