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Ahmad Jahajha was shot dead after he reportedly rammed his car into Israeli soldiers. Published by Maan

Hikmat Hamdan, 29, a resident of al-Bireh, was shot dead by Israeli forces after reportedly running his car into forces in the Qalandiya refugee camp. Published by Mann

Palestinians stand next to a car, used by Palestinians in an attempted ramming attack against Israeli soldiers, in the Qalandiya refugee camp near the West Bank city of Ramallah on December 16, 2015. Credit: AFP Published by Haaretz
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RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- Israeli forces on Wednesday shot dead two Palestinians during a predawn military raid in the Qalandia refugee camp near Ramallah, locals and medics said.

Locals in the occupied West Bank refugee camp told Ma’an that hundreds of Israeli soldiers and dozens of military vehicles stormed the area around 1 a.m., entering the the densely-populated camp from all sides before ransacking homes and shops.

During the raid, Israeli forces opened fire on 20-year-old Ahmad Jahajha from close range after he rammed his vehicle into a group of Israeli soldiers, witnesses told Ma’an.

Israeli forces reportedly left Jahajha to “bleed to death” before taking his body and detaining another resident who had been shot and injured, witnesses said.

Hikmat Hamdan, 29, a resident of the nearby city of al-Bireh, was also shot dead by Israeli forces after reportedly running his car into forces present inside the camp.

Clashes reportedly broke out between armed men in the refugee camp and Israeli military forces before the forces left the camp around 4:30 a.m.

Four Palestinians were injured with live fire during the raid, one of whom was left in serious condition, according to Palestinian medical sources.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that Israeli forces had entered the Qalandiya refugee camp overnight during “routine activity to arrest suspects and collect weapons.”

The forces opened fire when a suspect “tried to ram his car into the forces,” killing the driver, the spokesperson said, adding that initial reports indicated that three soldiers were wounded by friendly fire during the incident.

Witnesses living on the main road nearby the camp told Ma’an that they saw Israeli ambulances evacuating injured Israeli soldiers from the area.

The army spokesperson said they were aware of a second attack in the camp involving border police officers that left another suspect dead.

An Israeli border police spokesperson did not immediately respond for comment.

The army spokesperson added that two “Hamas operatives” were detained during the raid.

Local told Ma’an said Israeli forces detained 26-year-old Mahmoud Nayif Abu Latifa and Ismaiyin Nayif Abu Latifa after breaking into their homes.

One of the two to be killed early Wednesday, 20-year-old Jahajha, was a sophomore at al-Asriyya College in Ramallah who studied media, according to Qalandiya residents.

Jahajha and Hamdan are among at least 121 Palestinians to be killed since violence escalated in the occupied Palestinian territory on Oct. 1.

The majority have been killed while carrying out attacks on Israeli military and civilians, while several have been shot dead during overnight raids by Israeli military forces.

Forces killed two Palestinians in the Qalandiya refugee camp at dawn on Nov. 16 during a raid to demolish the home of an alleged Palestinian attacker.

Laith Assad Manasra, 21, and Ahmad Abu al-Aish, 28, were shot when clashes broke out in the camp at the time.

The forces demolished the home of Muhammad Abu Shahin during the raid, a suspect in the killing of an Israeli settler on June 19 near the settlement of Dolev northwest of Ramallah.

Palestinian gunmen inside of the refugee camp -- believed to be affiliated with Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades -- had opened fire on Israeli forces at least two times the month prior, preventing Israeli forces from carrying out demolitions until them.

Last week, camp residents staged a demonstration demanding that Israel deliver the body of 14-year-old Hadil Wajih Awwad.

Since the upsurge in violence, Israeli authorities have routinely withheld the bodies of Palestinians killed while carrying out attacks, one of several measures taken that critics condemn as “collective punishment.”

Awwas was shot dead and her 16-year-old cousin was shot and injured after they reportedly carried out a stab attack.
Video footage of the incident shows an Israeli security guard shooting the girls several times after they had both fallen to the ground.
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by Gili Cohen for Haaretz

Three Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded early Wednesday after an attempted car attack in the West Bank's Qalandiyah refugee camp. The Palestinian driver of the car was shot dead by the forces, and, according to an initial army investigation, the forces were wounded by friendly fire.

An additional attempted car-ramming attack took place overnight in Qalandiyah, where Israeli soldiers and Border Police officers were conducting a raid. In this case too, the driver was shot and killed. No Israeli causalities were sustained in the incident.

Palestinian medical sources identified the two Palestinians as Ahmed Jahjuh, a 21-year-old resident of Qalandiyah, and Hachmat Hamdan, a 20-year-old resident of Al-Bira. According to the sources, the former was a communications student and a relative of Yunis Jahjuh, a Palestinian killed in clashes with the IDF two years ago.

Palestinians from the Qalandiyah refugee camp said that after the raid, clashes broke out between residents and the IDF. According to local medical sources, some four Palestinians were wounded, one seriously, by IDF fire.

On Monday, 14 people were wounded when a Palestinian from East Jerusalem plowed his car into a large group of people waiting at a bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem. The assailant, Abed Almohsin Hassoneh, 21, from Beit Hanina was shot and killed at the scene while still in his car. An axe was found in the vehicle.

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