Troops kill Palestinian teen for throwing petrol bomb at car
By mailto:contact@haaretz.co.il Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service, and The Associated Press 
Last update - 00:26 21/10/2005
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/636439.html http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/636439.html

A 16-year-old Palestinian hurling petrol bombs at Israeli cars was shot dead by Israel Defense Forces troops Thursday, near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. 

According to soldiers, Akram Zaor was shot dead after he was identified throwing a petrol bomb at a car with Israeli license plates, damaging the vehicle. The troops said that they had found another three bombs next to Zaor's body, ready for use. 

A military doctor later confirmed his death, a source said. Palestinian medics said the IDF informed them they would transfer the body soon.
Five Israelis were injured Thursday on the same road by Palestinians throwing rocks at vehicles. One of the Israelis was moderately wounded, rescue officials said. 

IDF troops entered Husan to disperse the stone throwers, but did not fire on them, an IDF spokesperson said.

Earlier Thursday, IDF troops arrested a 15-year-old Palestinian boy attempting to smuggle weapons across the Hawara checkpoint, south of the West Bank city of Nablus.

Security forces suspect that the militants took advantage of the teen's learning disability, Israel Radio reported. He said members of a Palestinian armed group had asked him to smuggle the mortar shell through the checkpoint. 

The youth, Saed Sawafta, apparently aroused soldiers' suspicion by trying to circumvent the checkpoint. The troops stopped him and found a 52-millimeter mortar shell and two knives in his possession.

The incident marks the sixth time that Palestinians have been thwarted as they tried to smuggle weapons across Hawara in the last two months, the IDF said. Nablus is one of the centers of Palestinian militant activity in the West Bank.

The boy's father, Hussein Sawafta, 50, a mechanic, said he got a phone call at midday from soldiers at the checkpoint who told him they were holding his son and asked him to come to the checkpoint. When he was told that his son was being held for carrying explosives, Sawafta said he was shocked.

I thought he threw stones at something... this can't be. Someone who wanted to hurt me did this. My son isn't like this, Sawafta said.

Also Thursday, IDF troops arrested two wanted Palestinian women in the West Bank city of Jenin. The two are suspected of having volunteered to carry out a terror attack, Israel Radio reported.

Troops also arrested eight additional Palestinian suspects in the West Bank overnight, Army Radio said.

Hamas leader freed to house arrest

Meanwhile, the Ofer camp military tribunal released a Hamas leader in the West Bank, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, to house arrest in Ramallah on Thursday, but gave the security establishment 72 hours to appeal the decision. Security forces captured Yousef in an arrest raid at the beginning of the week.