22-year-old Islam Dweikat died on Wednesday, 1 April, after succuming to a gunshot wound he recieved on 11 March. According to the Paletstinian health ministry, the incident occurred just outside of Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank.
The violence was an attempt to diffuse the crowd which was actively opposing the intrusion of Israeli settlers. Medics on site treated over 110 injuries according to Al Jazeera’s Nide Ibrahim, who was reporting from Ramallah, an occupied West Bank city.
"Locals in the area say Jabal al-Armeh [al-Armeh mountain] is a very high area … one of the highest in the Nablus area, and settlers have been eyeing this location for years, since the 1980s," Ibrahim said. "There have been confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli settlers there. Usually, settlers like to settle on high areas… on hilltops… this is a way for them to keep an upper hand if anything happens, including demonstrations.”
Mohammed Hamayel, 15, was also killed on 11 March by the Israeli military. He was shot in the face by rubber-coated bullets. At least 18 other Palestinians were wounded in the live fire, and according to Maan news agency, 3 Palestinians were arrested.
The Israeli military defended their actions claiming that they were acting in response to a “violent riot.” The army offically released a statement stating: "We are aware of a report regarding a killed Palestinian and several injured. The incident will be reviewed.”
Though, under international law, settlements and outposts are illegal, according to Palestinians, Israeli settlers have been stimulated by US President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, which was announced in January of this year.
About 600,000 Israeli settlers and 2.9 million Palestinians inhabit the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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Author: Teagan Foti; Editor: Noelle Musolino
