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Israeli Army Denies Assassination Operation in Hebron
The Israeli army "knew nothing about" the shooting incident Wednesday morning in the West Bank city of Hebron, in which a member of the Palestinian mainstream movement Fatah was wounded, an Israeli army spokesman said.
Hazem Natcheh, a 22-year-old Palestinian who is on Israel's most wanted list, sustained serious but not critical wounds in the abdomen and back while being shot at close range by two gunmen with rifles, according to Israel Radio reports.
The incident occurred just hours after Israel's 13-member security cabinet Wednesday approved to carry out more target killings against Palestinian activists.
The Palestinians claimed that the incident was an assassination attempt by Israeli undercover troops, while the Israeli army spokesman denied that Israel had carried out any operation in the area.
The Palestinians and Israelis have engaged in bloody clashes for more than nine months, during which over 600 people, mostly Palestinians, have been killed.
The Israeli army had used helicopter gunships, bombs, and undercover troops to liquidate the Palestinians suspected of carrying out attacks against Israeli targets. The move drew severe international criticism.
The Palestinians claim that at least 40 Palestinians had been killed in Israel's liquidation campaign since the eruption of the bloodshed between the two sides last September.
The latest such attacks occurred on Sunday, when three Palestinians were killed by Israeli helicopter gunships in the West Bank.
The "liquidation" move prompted a response from the Palestinian side, and two Israelis were killed on Monday.
Since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the two sides took effect on June 13, 15 Palestinians and nine Israelis have been killed.
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