WATCH: Israeli troops stop Palestinian would-be suicide bomber

Activestills By Activestills December 15, 2017 | Edit

Israeli soldiers shoot and kill a Palestinian man wearing an explosive belt during clashes at a checkpoint near Ramallah. Three more Palestinians are killed during protests across the occupied territories.

By Oren Ziv / Activestills.org

Israeli Border Police officers shot and wounded a Palestinian wearing an explosive belt during clashes at the DCO checkpoint near Ramallah on Friday. The man, who was standing alongside the journalists while filming the demonstration on his phone, ran over to the officers and stabbed one of them with a small knife, wounding him lightly, upon which the officers opened fire and seriously wounded the man.

As he hit the ground, the man revealed a suicide vest strapped to his body underneath a large coat, causing the officers to retreat. As opposed to a statement put out by Israeli police, the attacker never wore a press vest to try and blend in with the journalists.

After collapsing, Palestinian medics evacuated the unconscious man to the ambulance. The soldiers prevented the ambulance from driving to the hospital, and removed him from the vehicle. After several minutes of arguing, the medics carried the man on a stretcher to a nearby private vehicle, which drove him toward Ramallah.

The officer who was stabbed was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the Palestinian attacker is in critical condition.

The attack comes as daily clashes have raged across the occupied territories, following President Trump declared the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the official capital of Israel. Two Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli soldiers during clashes in the Gaza buffer zone on Friday, a week after Israel killed two other Palestinians during last Friday’s demonstration the border between Israel and the Strip. Another Palestinian was shot and killed during protests in the Palestinian village of Anata in northern Jerusalem.

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Since the start of the protests, hundreds of Palestinians across the West Bank have been detained, and hundreds of others have been wounded by live fire, rubber bullets, and tear gas. Meanwhile, the Israeli army conducted dozens of night raids, arresting top Hamas members, and has established over 100 flying checkpoints across the West Bank.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force and Palestinian militants exchanged missiles and rocket fire over the past week. Air strikes killed three Palestinians in Gaza over the past week, with the IAF claiming it was targeting Hamas compounds and weapon caches. Militants repeatedly fired rockets into Israel, the majority of which were shot down by the Iron Dome. Several rockets exploded in open areas, with one landing in the city of Sderot, wounding one.

This is a developing story. This post will be updated as more details come in.

Activestills

Activestills is a collective of Israeli, Palestinian, and international photographers, united by a conviction that photography is a vehicle for political and social change. We believe in the power of images to shape public attitudes and to raise awareness on issues that are generally absent from public discourse. We view ourselves as part of the struggle against all forms of oppression, racism, and violations of the basic right to freedom. Our images are frequently published by many leading human rights, development, and advocacy agencies, as well as by alternative and leading news media. To stay updated on our latest images, like Activestills on Facebook or visit our Flickr photostream.

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