Border Guard officers stationed at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron shot and killed a Palestinian man who approached a guard post and disobeyed several orders to halt. One officer was lightly wounded in the incident.
The officers became wary of the Palestinian when he approached their post and refused to undergo a search. He then fled towards a guard post located nearby, where other officers were standing watch.
The officers called out to him, warning him to stop his progress, and fired warning shots into the air. When the latter refused to heed the call they fired, hitting and killing him. One officer was lightly injured by shrapnel and evacuated to a Jerusalem hospital.
Police sappers arrived in order to check the Palestinian's person for explosive devices and arms. The Tomb of Patriarchs was declared a closed military zone, and all worshippers were removed from the area.
Border Guard Commander Yisrael Yitzhak praised the soldiers' conduct and said they had responded professionally in neutralizing a suspect who had infiltrated a secure area. He said they had acted according to the IDF regulations.
A security official told Ynet that the officers had done what was required of Border Guards. "When a Palestinian approaches, makes the guards suspicious, and doesn't heed their warnings he has to be neutralized, especially in light of the many recent attempts at attacking the area of the Tomb of Patriarchs," he said.
During recent months a number of Palestinians have been detained at the Border Guard checkpoint near the Cave of Patriarchs for attempting to assault security personnel.
Last week a youth approached the checkpoint carrying a 10 cm blade. The blade was confiscated and the youth was taken in for questioning by police. No injuries were reported.
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