Israeli troops raided a Palestinian refugee camp north of Jerusalem, early Tuesday, the military said. Palestinian health officials said a 22-year-old Palestinian man was killed and four others were wounded in the ensuing clashes.
The Israeli soldiers who lost their way accidentally entered the Qalandia refugee camp where they were pelted with rocks and firebombs, said Israeli military spokesman Brig Gen Motti Almoz.
The soldiers fled after their jeep caught fire, with one escaping to a nearby Jewish settlement and the other taking cover in the yard of a Palestinian family before he was rescued by the Israeli troops amid heavy clashes.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said university student Eyad Sajadiyeh was shot in the head. The Israeli military said five soldiers were wounded.
The exchange was the latest in over five months of near-daily Palestinian attacks on civilians and security forces that have killed 28 Israelis, mostly in stabbings, shootings and attacks where Palestinians used vehicles as weapons to ram into Israeli soldiers or civilians.
During the same time — since mid-September — at least 168 Palestinians have also been killed, most of them said by Israel to have been attackers. The rest died in clashes with troops.
Israel says the violence is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement, compounded on social media sites that glorify and encourage attacks. Palestinians say it stems from frustration at nearly five decades of Israeli rule and dwindling hopes for gaining independence.
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