Khalil Ziadeh, a 40-year-old Israeli-Arab, was shot and killed Monday overnight by IDF soldiers in the West Bank village of Wadi Rahhal, south of Bethlehem, where he lived. The soldiers arrived after settlers claimed stones had been thrown at an Israeli vehicle in the area, after which the settlers themselves arrived at the farm and clashed with local Palestinians.
Footage of the scene at Wadi Rahhal
At the scene, 40 shell casings from the soldiers' gunfire were found, which also injured four other Palestinians. According to some reports, the stone hurling was directed at a Palestinian vehicle, not an Israeli one. Security officials stressed that "troops stationed in settlements aren’t supposed to take part in such incidents, and certainly not fire 40 bullets." The IDF added that the incident is under investigation.
Other security sources, however, reported that "Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle near the Eitam farm in the Etzioni Brigade area, causing damage to the vehicle. Later, Palestinians threw stones at other Israeli civilians who arrived at the scene.
"A confrontation ensued between both sides. IDF forces who rushed to the scene responded with gunfire during the disturbance that developed, and hits were identified. Some claimed an Israeli citizen from East Jerusalem was shot and killed by the forces; the incident will be investigated."
According to military guidelines, troops stationed near settlements in the West Bank, who serve as a kind of local reinforcement, are not supposed to leave the settlement where they are located and should not have entered the village.
At this point, it is still unclear if and how many soldiers were on duty and whether they were in uniform. The Palestinians accuse settlers of the shooting, which could indicate the soldiers weren’t in uniform.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, those injured in the incident are in moderate condition. Hamdi Ziyada, the head of Wadi Rahhal’s local council, told Palestinian news agency WAFA on Monday that several civilian homes were attacked by settlers near the local school and that a shooting took place.
"IDF forces entered the village to protect the settlers and fired stun and gas grenades at the civilians, leading to cases of suffocation,” he said. Following the death of this civilian, the number of fatalities in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, since October 7 has risen to 651.