Israeli troops eliminate Palestinian firebomber

Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian who was throwing Molotov cocktails at a guard post on Friday.

By World Israel News Staff

IDF troops operating in Samaria opened fire on a 29-year-old Palestinian attacking a guard station on Friday, killing the assailant and wounding another Arab in the leg.

Both individuals were throwing Molotov cocktails at the time of the attack, the IDF announced.

Palestinian officials claimed the men were “merely strolling through the village,” according to an Associated Press report. The deceased was named as Ibrahim Abu Yakoub of Kifl Haris.

Firebombs remain a popular mode of terror attacks among Palestinians, with officials from both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) urging Arabs to commit violence in the run up to Israel’s extension of sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

In June, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said a “gun [must be] raised,” while spokesman Abu Obeida said at the time that Hamas considers Israel’s declaration of sovereignty to be “a declaration of war,” claiming the terror group “will make the enemy bite the fingers of remorse for this sinful decision.”

During the same month, the PA’s official television outlet broadcast multiple times a program calling for “jihad” and “self-sacrifice” in response to Israeli sovereignty, which are code words for terror attacks on Israeli civilians.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas’ party also recently disseminated propaganda on PA TV with slogans such as, “We’ll strike with an iron fist and not go easy on those who agree to a truce with [Israel].”

In July, an Arab member of Israel’s Knesset, Ayman Odeh, visited Ramallah to express solidarity with Hamas and Fatah officials threatening violence if Israel proceeds with its sovereignty plan.

Around half a million Israelis live in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, which Israel has controlled since defeating multiple attacking Arab armies in 1967’s Six-Day War. Under the current sovereignty plan, Israel will extend civil law over one-third of Judea and Samaria, while the rest will remain under PA rule.