As the manhunt for the terrorist who murdered Israeli father of six Raziel Shevach on Tuesday entered a fourth day, Israeli security forces braced for potential violence on Friday after two Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli troops.
Israeli forces surrounded the Palestinian city of Nablus and nearby villages overnight Thursday, arresting 18 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank as part of efforts to apprehend the shooter who killed Shevach.
Security checkpoints at the entrances and exits to and from Nablus and the environs were still in place on Friday as the search for Shevach's shooter was still ongoing, amid intelligence and operational efforts to apprehend the culprit.
On Thursday, a 16-year-old Palestinian was killed in a clash in the village of Bureen, near Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry said. An IDF spokeswoman said troops searching the area for suspects had come under attack from "a massive barrage of rocks" and that troops had fired at the main instigator. She said the military was aware of a Palestinian fatality.
Defense officials voiced concern that the heightened military presence in the area could lead to friction with the local residents.
Another Palestinian was killed Thursday near the border with Gaza when Palestinian rioters threw stones at Israeli troops. The IDF spokeswoman said violent clashes had erupted at two locations along the Gaza border involving some 50 rioters hurling rocks and rolling burning tires, endangering the troops. The Israeli soldiers responded with warning shots followed by directed fire, she said.
A Hamas call for "day of rage" demonstrations this week went nearly unheeded until the deadly shooting attack near the Israeli outpost of Havat Gilad in Samaria on Tuesday, which sparked a shift. Israeli security forces consequently prepared for potential violence on Friday, expecting a day of rage eruption.
