Violence Kills 5 Palestinians; Infiltrator Slays Israel Soldier

Five Palestinians died amid mounting violence in the Israeli-occupied territories Saturday, two of them in a shoot-out, and an Israeli soldier was killed by an infiltrator from Jordan.

A terse army statement said soldiers killed two “terrorists” in a clash in the early hours, wounding and arresting three others. Palestinians said all five were wanted by security forces and some were armed. No soldiers were wounded.

Stone-throwing demonstrators in Nablus clashed with troops, and soldiers shot dead a 14-year-old girl and wounded 10 protesters, hospital officials said.

The army then placed the city of 120,000 under curfew.

In another aspect of the mounting violence, Palestinians said masked youths shot dead a 30-year-old Arab in the Gaza Strip town of Rafah. They had initially reported he was killed by the army.

They said Abdullah Abu Shalouf was a drug dealer suspected of collaborating with the Israeli security services. An army spokeswoman said Shalouf’s killing was a criminal matter being investigated by police.

Three other alleged collaborators were killed Friday, apparently by Palestinians, pushing the number killed in inter-Arab violence to about 105.

In Jerusalem’s Mokassed Hospital, Moustafa Hussein Dabah, 37, of Ramallah died of head wounds sustained a week ago when his car was stoned. Palestinians said Israeli settlers in the West Bank threw the rocks.

The Israeli army said the soldier was killed in a clash with a gunman who infiltrated across Israel’s northeastern border with Jordan.

It said the intruder, dressed in civilian clothes and armed with an AK-47 rifle and a hand gun, was also killed in the morning clash at Kfar Ruppin, south of the Sea of Galilee, an army spokeswoman said.

Two other soldiers were wounded in the clash and one was reported shot in the head and fighting for his life.

On two previous occasions this year, gunmen have crossed the border with Jordan and carried out attacks inside Israel.

The army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Shomron, told reporters at the scene that the identity and motive of the assailant were unknown.

“Jordan must find a way to prevent shootings or infiltration from its border and to maintain security along the border,” he said.