Palestinian youths shot dead in West Bank

04/04/2013| IslamWeb

Israeli troops have shot dead two Palestinian youths in the occupied West Bank as confrontations entered a third day following the death of a prisoner in an Israeli jail.

The body of Naji Balbisi, 17, a cousin of 16-year-old Amer Nassar who was also shot dead in clash at a military roadblock at Tulkarem in the north of the Palestinian territory, was discovered early on Thursday morning, officials said.

The Israeli army said troops fired on Palestinians who threw fire bombs at a guard post in the area after dark on Wednesday, but did not confirm the teenager was killed by them.

The army said it was investigating the incident, which left at least one other Palestinian wounded.

Tensions have risen rapidly in the West Bank and Gaza Strip following the death from cancer on Tuesday of Maysara Abu Hamdeya, 64, who was serving a life sentence in an Israeli jail.

Palestinians accuse Israel of withholding care from the man and failing to release him after diagnosing that his illness was terminal. Israel said it followed normal procedures.

Abu Hamdeya was convicted for a planned attack on a Jerusalem cafe in 2002.

In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, where Abu Hamdeya is to be buried on Thursday, Israeli forces clashed with dozens of Palestinian protesters on Wednesday, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at men throwing stones and petrol bombs.

Al Jazeera's correspondent Nicole Johnston, reporting from Hebron on Thursday, said that the situation in the town remained very tense.

Rocket fire

On Wednesday, Israeli jets carried out their first air strike on the Gaza Strip since a truce ended several days of fighting in November.

The military said it was responding to rockets fired on Tuesday by a group inside the Gaza strip.

The group fired two more rockets on Wednesday and said it was responding to the death of Abu Hamdeya.

Israeli officials pressed Hamas, to rein in rocket-launching fighters after the most serious outbreak of cross-border hostilities since the ceasefire that ended the eight-day siege in November.

Some 4,600 Palestinian prisoners declared a hunger strike for three days in protest at Abu Hamdeya's death.
Food trays were returned untouched on Wednesday, an Israeli prisons official said.

In towns of the occupied West Bank, some shops were shut in solidarity.

PHOTO CAPTION

Israeli soldiers patrol near the border with the Gaza Strip November 16, 2012.

Al-Jazeera