Qalandiya Refugee Camp Residents Bury Palestinian Killed in Clashes

Thousand of Palestinians on Thursday marched in a funeral procession for a Palestinian shot dead hours earlier during clashes with Israeli military forces in the Qalandiya refugee camp near Ramallah.

Twenty three-year-old Bilal Zayed was one of four Palestinians to be killed Thursday. Three others were shot after carrying out separate attacks on Israeli military in the occupied West Bank that left three injured.

Locals told Ma’an that Zayed’s body was taken from the Palestine Medical Complex to the entrance of the refugee camp, where the body was carried by mourners to the Zayed family home.

Qalandiya residents performed funeral prayers before burying his body in the refugee camp cemetery.

The 23-year-old was shot with a live bullet in the chest when residents clashed with Israeli military forces attempting to raid the camp.

An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that forces opened fire when they were “assaulted by a violent mob” that included gunmen and Palestinians throwing explosive devices, Molotov cocktails, and stones.

Zayed was the fourth Palestinian from the camp to be killed by Israeli forces in the last 24 hours.

The forces entered Qalandiya hours after camp resident Wisam Abu Ghwaila, 22, ran his vehicle into Israeli soldiers posted near the Geva Benyamin settlement east of Al-Ram.

Ghwaila was shot and killed on scene by Israeli soldiers, one of whom an Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an was “very lightly injured.”

Two Palestinians from the Qalandiya refugee camp were shot dead on Wednesday after killing one Israeli and injuring another in a stab attack in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem. Another Israeli was also killed when Israeli border guards opened fire on the attackers.