BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Saturday evening shot and wounded a Palestinian who was attempting to rush through a Qalqiliya-district checkpoint to reach a hospital in Nablus where his father had passed away, Palestinian sources said.
The Palestinian was identified as Hamada Abd al-Aziz Atwani, 27, from al-Jiftlik village north of Jericho.
After his family informed him that his father had passed away in Rafidia hospital in Nablus, he attempted to leave Israel, where he works, and enter the occupied West Bank through the Oranit crossing south of Qalaqiliya.
Palestinian sources said that he told Israeli soldiers at the crossing that he had an emergency.
However, an Israeli army spokesperson said that he "attempted to run past the crossing," and when Israeli forces sought to stop him, he "attacked" them.
She said that Israeli forces then opened fire on his "lower extremities," and Atwani had to be evacuated for medical treatment.
She was not aware of his condition and did not know whether he was being held in Israeli custody.
Israeli media reported that he was shot after "arousing the suspicion of the soldiers."
Israeli forces have been heavily criticized by rights groups for their repeated use of violent force against Palestinians who posed no imminent threat.
Israeli forces have killed nearly 90 Palestinians since the beginning of October. They claim that many of those were attempting to attack Israelis when they were shot, although Palestinians and rights group have disputed Israel's version of events in a number of cases.
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