Palestinian killed in east Jerusalem clashes

A Palestinian man was killed during clashes with Israeli soldiers overnight as they arrived to demolish the home of the alleged perpetrator of a deadly attack on Israelis, the army said Thursday. 

A spokeswoman said that during a confrontation "suspects threw improvised explosive devices at soldiers, who responded by opening fire, resulting in the death" of a Palestinian.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the man killed as Ahmad al-Kharoubi, 19.  

The spokeswoman said Israeli soldiers were attempting to demolish the home of Misbah Abu Sbeih -- who went on a deadly shooting rampage in October -- in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Kufr Aqab.

Sbeih was shot dead by security forces on October 9 after killing police officer Yosef Kirma, 29, while Israeli media identified the second victim as 60-year-old Israeli woman Levana Melihi.

A wave of violence in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and Israel since October 2015 has killed 245 Palestinians, 36 Israelis, two Americans, a Jordanian, an Eritrean and a Sudanese national, according to an AFP count. 

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.

Others were shot dead during protests or clashes, while some died in Israeli air strikes on Gaza.

Source: AFP