Palestinian officer injured after being shot by Israeli soldiers in West Bank
Israeli soldiers have shot and injured a Palestinian security officer in the occupied West Bank after reportedly accidentally identifying the security force as "suspects".
A members of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Preventive Security Force was lightly wounded during the incident in Nablus early on Tuesday. Members of the Preventive Security Force spotted a suspicious civilian car in the streets of the city of Nablus city, in the northern West Bank, and tried to stop it, Quds news reported.
But they discovered that the vehicle was in fact carrying members of the Mistaravim - undercover Israeli forces disguised as Palestinians - the Palestinian news outlet added.
The timeline of events following this initial interaction remains unclear, but clashes erupted, and uniformed Israeli army forces attacked a Preventive Security Force station in Nablus, which hosts offices and dormitory. Palestinians did not fire back, Quds said.
Nablus governor Ibrahim Ramadan said of the wounded Palestinian officer: "The man is in light condition, and we are tracking and checking the details of the incident."
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The Israeli army said that soldiers fired by accident and added that the incident would be investigated, Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported.
No casualties were reported on the Israeli side.
Overnight arrests
Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli army spokesman said that Israeli security forces had arrested overnight 18 Palestinians suspected of "terror" activity and participation in violent protests in the West Bank.
The suspects have been transferred for further questioning, they said.
According to the Israeli army, the shooting of the Palestinian security officer occurred during clashes that broke out when Israeli forces carried out the arrests.
Israeli forces carry out detention raids across the West Bank on a near-nightly basis - including in areas, like Nablus city, that are in Area A, which technically falls under full Palestinian Authority political and security control.
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