Palestinian officers recognized him as Mahdi Hashash, 15, and mentioned he died of shrapnel wounds throughout an Israeli raid. A department of the militant Palestinian group Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade recognized the teenager as its member, calling him “our martyr.”
The military mentioned it was defending civilians visiting the positioning recognized to Jews because the biblical Joseph’s Tomb. The military mentioned gunshots had been heard within the space and the army fired again, together with on the individual with the explosive system.
It was not instantly clear whether or not the raid was linked to a go to on Tuesday night by eight Knesset members, incoming lawmakers and allies of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who prevailed in final week’s nationwide election.
Eight members of Netanyahu’s Likud get together and his proper wing allies mentioned in a press release that that they had visited after darkish.
The conflict got here throughout one of many deadliest years on each side of the battle, together with after final week’s nationwide elections. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prevailed, with the backing of a far-right ultranationalist get together.
Palestinian attackers have killed a minimum of 24 individuals in Israel because the begin of 2022. Intensified Israeli-Palestinian preventing within the West Financial institution and east Jerusalem has additionally killed some 130 Palestinians this yr, making it the deadliest since 2006, in line with Israeli rights group B’Tselem.
Israel captured the West Financial institution within the 1967 Mideast warfare, and has since maintained a army occupation over the territory and settled greater than 500,000 individuals there. The Palestinians search the territory, together with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, for a future impartial state.
Some Jews imagine the biblical Joseph is buried within the Nablus tomb, whereas Muslims say a sheikh is buried there. The military escorts Jewish worshippers to the positioning, recognized to Jews as Joseph’s Tomb, a number of instances a yr, in coordination with Palestinian safety forces.
As Israeli-Palestinian violence has flared this yr, the positioning has once more grow to be a flashpoint. In April, some 100 Palestinians marched towards Joseph’s Tomb and set it ablaze earlier than they had been dispersed by Palestinian safety forces. Pictures on social media confirmed elements of the tomb contained in the shrine smashed and charred.
Earlier this month, the Israeli army mentioned forces escorting Jewish worshippers to the shrine got here beneath fireplace after which shot again. An 18-year-old Palestinian man was killed within the violence