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Palestinian Authority/Gaza, May 16, 2020

3 Palestinians attempt attack on army post near Jerusalem

Original source

The Times of Israel

Israeli troops shot and injured three Palestinians who were attempting an attack on an army post near Jerusalem on Friday night, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The attackers targeted the IDF post near the Palestinian town of Abu Dis with explosive charges and molotov cocktails.

Soldiers who had been waiting in ambush fired on the men, injuring them. Their condition was not immediately known. No IDF troops were wounded in the incident.

"An attack was thwarted moments ago when IDF troops spotted three Palestinians hurling explosives and lighting Molotov cocktails, preparing to attack an IDF post. Our troops responded with fire and thwarted the attack," the IDF said in a statement.

The attack comes amid heightened tensions in the West Bank. An IDF soldier was killed during an arrest raid in the Palestinian village of Yabed when a brick was thrown at his head on Tuesday morning and a Palestinian teenager was shot dead during clashes with Israeli troops in the al-Fawar refugee camp the following day.

IDF troops arrested two suspects in Yabed overnight Friday-Saturday, according to Arabic media reports.

Friday is also the Palestinians' Nakba (catastrophe) Day, marking the displacement of Palestinians before and after the State of Israel's establishment on May 14, 1948. The period around Nakba Day often sees increased levels of violence in the West Bank and Israel. On Thursday, an Israeli soldier was injured when he was hit by a car in what the military said was a deliberate attack in the southern West Bank.

The driver of the vehicle was shot dead by another soldier at the scene, the military said.

The wounded serviceman, 21, sustained injuries to his extremities, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said. He was listed in moderate-to-serious condition.

On Tuesday, a Palestinian assailant attempted to stab security officers at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem. Border Police officers at the scene opened fire on the man, inuring him, after he attempted to stab them, police said.

Israeli defense officials have also warned of a potential outbreak of violence in response to plans by the government to unilaterally annex portions of the West Bank.

A Friday report said security officials warned that the Palestinian Authority's economic troubles amid the coronavirus pandemic could lead to a violent uprising in the West Bank that destabilizes PA President Mahmoud Abbas's rule.