A Palestinian man has been shot by the Israeli military on Saturday at the Qalandia checkpoint in Ramallah.Israeli media reports state that the man was brandishing an axe, and when he failed to halt his advance following warnings from the Israeli miltary, he was shot in the legs, before being evacuated to Haddassah Medical Center, in Jerusalem.
Contrary to this report, witnesses told Palestinian Authority news outlet, WAFA, that the military fired at the man without prior warning or justification.
WAFA are naming the man as Abd al-Hakeem Ghawadreh, and are reporting that his family have stated that Ghawadreh has a long standing medical history of suffering from mental health problems, and that they ave not seen him for five months.
Following the incident, the family home of Ghawadreh was raided with damages reported during the raid.
In related news, Agence France Presse are reporting that an Israeli military patrol came under gunfire Saturday night near Ramallah.
A military spokesperson told AFP that the patrol vehicle was shot at, claiming that the perpetrator was Palestinian, and the assailant was not apprehended.
