RAMALLAH, Friday, February 5, 2021 (WAFA) – Israeli settlers Friday morning fatally shot a Palestinian near Ras Karkar village, northwest of Ramallah city, according to local sources.

They said that Israeli settlers opened fire toward an unarmed Palestinian man as he approached Jabal al-Raysan, killing him.

The settlers came from Sde Efraim farm, which does not appear on maps and is small colonial outpost set up by settlers atop Jabal al-Raysan, which was seized from Palestinian landowners in the area.  

Head of Ras Karkar Village Council, Radhi Abu Fkheida, identified the slain Palestinian as Khaled Nofal, the married 34-year-old father of a four-year-old boy.

He added that the Israeli army stormed Nofal’s family house in the village in the early morning hours, and escorted his father, Maher, to Jabal al-Raysan to inspect the belongings of his deceased son. Maher had no information about the circumstances of Nofal’s death.

Israeli soldiers deployed at the scene prevented Palestinian medics from accessing the site.  

The circumstances surrounding the alleged stabbing attempt remain unclear and largely based on the Israeli version of events.

Israel forces and settlers have been criticized for its reflexive use of lethal force and “extrajudicial killings” when Palestinian alleged attackers no longer pose an immediate threat. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that circumstances surrounding such killings over the past months remain disputed.

Video footage for similar alleged attacks appear to disapprove Israeli military claims, showing alleged Palestinian attackers did not even attempt to carry out any attacks. Some footage showed Israeli forces manipulating the crime scene following such killings.

K.F.