The Israeli army said on Sunday that IDF soldiers shot and killed two Palestinian men during what they described as a “ramming attack” in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the victims as Ahmad Khalil Al-Rajabi, 17, and Ziad Jabara Abu Dawoud, 55, a municipal sanitation worker. According to the army, the teenager accelerated toward soldiers, prompting them to open fire, while Abu Dawoud—who was travelling in a separate vehicle—was accidentally caught in the crossfire.
Hundreds of mourners attended Abu Dawoud’s funeral in Hebron on Sunday, including many municipal employees wearing orange vests. His father condemned the killing as a “barbaric attack,” saying the vehicle had stopped when ordered to do so, yet soldiers still opened fire.
Violence in the West Bank has been escalating for months. Since the Gaza war erupted on October 7, 2023, more than 1,000 Palestinians—including civilians—have been killed in Israeli military operations or attacks by settlers in the West Bank, while at least 44 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official figures.
