Palestinian youth shot by troops

Soldiers holed up in Nablus home fire on crowd of stone-throwing protesters.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
nablus rally 298 AP (photo credit: AP [file])
nablus rally 298 AP
(photo credit: AP [file])
Israeli soldiers holed up in a home in Nablus on Monday opened fire on a crowd of stone-throwing protesters outside the building. The army said its forces had come under fire in the area, but had no further details. According to Palestinian officials and witnesses two people were wounded, including a 13-year-old boy. The soldiers took over the top floor of the home during a military operation early Monday, and protesters quickly gathered outside after discovering the forces. The crowd began throwing rocks toward the soldiers, who placed a door behind a window and responded with gunfire. Several crowd members also fired pistols toward troops during the exchange. Palestinian hospital officials said the youth was shot in the neck and in moderate condition. A second person was lightly wounded, they said. "When he was wounded in the neck, he ran toward me before collapsing and the blood gushed from his neck," said Ana Maria Espinoza, a pro-Palestinian volunteer from Chile. She said more than 100 protesting youths were gathered behind a wall about 100 meters (yards) from the house, which is located in a residential neighborhood near a school. An armored AP jeep also was hit by Israeli gunfire, suffering minor damage.