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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Palestinian teen killed as rioters attack Jewish pilgrimage to Joseph’s Tomb |
| 2022-08-20 |
| [IsraelTimes] Heavy festivities break out in Nablus, which has seen several bouts of violence recently, including surrounding shrine; no Israeli injuries reported, but bullet hits bus A Paleostinian teenager was killed as heavy festivities broke out in Nablus late Wednesday and early Thursday while Jewish worshippers held a monthly pilgrimage to a shrine in the Paleostinian West Bank city under military guard. The visit to Joseph’s Tomb came a week after the city saw rare daytime gunbattles between troops and Paleostinian fighters. It was the first trip to the shrine since late June, when Paleostinian button men opened fire on pilgrims, wounding a senior Israel Defense Forces officer and two civilians. Wassim Khalifa, 19, was shot by a sniper during the festivities and rushed to a hospital before succumbing to his wounds, Paleostinian media outlets reported, citing the Paleostinian Red Islamic Thingy rescue service. Khalifa was from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus, according to reports. Dozens more were maimed, including at least one person hospitalized at death's door, the al Quds news site reported. Most of the other injuries were for tear gas inhalation. The IDF said in a statement that troops from the army and Border Police were securing a coordinated pilgrimage, and had returned fire at Paleostinian button men. The fighting broke out as a convoy of Jewish worshippers and IDF soldiers entered the city for a monthly visit to the tomb, revered by some as the final resting place of the biblical Joseph, where they met with resistance from locals. Clashes during the visits are commonplace; Paleostinians routinely throw rocks at the troops, and frequently attack them with Molotov cocktails and gunfire. No injuries were reported among Israelis, though a bullet struck an armored bus used by the Israeli group. Heavy bursts of gunfire could be heard in footage from the scene which were shared on social media. Tensions have been high at the site since April, when some 100 Paleostinian rioters broke into the shrine and vandalized it. Joseph’s Tomb is located inside Area A of the West Bank, which is officially under complete Paleostinian Authority control, though the Israeli military conducts activities there. The IDF bars Israeli citizens from entering Area A without prior authorization. |
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