Israel’s military said Sunday that its forces killed two men in the occupied West Bank after what it described as an attempted ramming attack, with the Palestinian Authority identifying the deceased as a 17- and 55-year-old.
The Ramallah-based health ministry named the two victims as Ahmad Khalil Al-Rajabi, 17, and Ziad Jabara Abu Dawoud, 55, after the incident on Saturday night in the Bab al-Zawiya area in the city of Hebron.
The older man was a sanitation worker, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
The Israeli army said the shooting took place after an attempted ramming attack against its troops stationed at a checkpoint.
‘A terrorist accelerated toward [Israeli] soldiers during an operational activity at a security checkpoint in Hebron. The soldiers responded by firing at the terrorist in the vehicle and he was eliminated,’ the army told AFP.
The military added that a second ‘uninvolved person’ was hit but did not provide further information.
Israel’s army radio said that according to a preliminary investigation, the ‘uninvolved’ victim was the sanitation worker, who was travelling in a different vehicle than the one used for the attempted attack.
Meanwhile, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday he expected the second phase of the US-sponsored ceasefire plan for Gaza to begin soon, and said he would meet President Donald Trump this month.
The truce, in effect since October 10, has halted the war that began after Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Under the terms of the ceasefire that entered into force on October 10, Palestinian militants committed to releasing the remaining 47 living and dead captives seized on their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
All of the hostages have so far been released except for the body of an Israeli police officer.
The second stage of the Gaza ceasefire plan concerns disarming Hamas, establishing a transitional authority and deploying an international stabilisation force.
Speaking after meeting German chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said: ‘We very shortly expect to move into the second phase, which is more difficult.’
Netanyahu also said he would meet Trump later in December to discuss ‘opportunities for peace’ in the region.
The meeting is expected to take place in Washington after the premier’s office said Trump invited Netanyahu to the White House during a phone call on Monday.
The German leader, who took power in May this year, has repeatedly criticised Israel’s relentless military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
Merz urged the implementation of the plan’s next steps, adding Germany was providing aid to Gaza and would contribute to the reconstruction efforts.
He reaffirmed Berlin’s support for Israel during his trip that included a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
‘Germany must stand up for the existence and security of Israel,’ Merz said, after acknowledging his country’s ‘enduring historical responsibility’ for the mass extermination of Jews during the Second World War.
During the joint press conference with Netanyahu, Merz said criticism of Israel was ‘possible and sometimes perhaps even necessary’.
‘The relationship between Germany and Israel can withstand that. But criticism of the policies of the Israeli government must not be misused as a pretext for anti-Semitism,’ he added.
Merz also underscored German support for a two-state solution.
Germany had in August moved to restrict German sales of weapons for use in Gaza but has since lifted those export restrictions following the ceasefire.
Despite the truce, more than 360 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to local health authorities, as well as three Israeli soldiers.
Although Merz’s public criticism of Israel was unusual for a German leader, it was measured by international standards.
