JERUSALEM: A Jewish settler fatally shot a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, Palestinian officials said.

A number of Jewish settlers carrying pistols and one with a rifle had approached the village of Qrawat Bani Hassan and one fired a shot, killing 27-year-old Mothqal Rayyan, a Palestinian witness said.

According to the witness, the Israeli military arrived but only protected the settlers.

The Israeli military said its soldiers had been dispatched to the scene after riots erupted between dozens of Palestinians and Israelis. It said the soldiers had responded with riot dispersal measures and shooting into the air, after which the confrontation had ended.

The military said it was aware of reports that a Palestinian was evacuated to hospital before soldiers arrived and was killed as a result of a gunshot wound. Israeli police said an inquiry had been opened into the events.

Among the areas where Palestinians seek statehood, the West Bank has seen a spike in violence since Israel intensified raids last year in response to a series of street attacks in its cities.

Also on Saturday, one rocket was fired towards Israel from the Gaza Strip and was intercepted by Israeli aerial defences, the military said. Sirens sounded in Israeli border communities, sending Israelis running to bomb shelters.

Separately, an eight-year-old Israeli was declared dead on Saturday, raising the death toll to three, after a Palestinian driver rammed his car into a group of people at a bus stop on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Friday, Israeli officials said.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2023