Israeli forces raided a Palestinian refugee camp north of Jerusalem early Tuesday to rescue two soldiers who were attacked after losing their way into Qalandia refugee camp, the military said. A 22-year-old Palestinian man died of gunshot and four others were wounded in the ensuing clashes, according to Palestinian health officials.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said university student Eyad Sajadiyeh was shot in the head.
The soldiers escaped as their jeep caught fire after their vehicle mistakably entered Qalandia with one fleeing to a nearby Jewish settlement and the other taking cover in the yard of a Palestinian family before he was rescued by the Israeli troops amid heavy clashes.
Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon explained that the two soldiers got into trouble because they had relied on satellite navigation on their mobile phone.
“I have always said that if even if you use a navigation program, you still need to know how to navigate with a map,” Yaalon said in a speech near Tel Aviv.
The Israeli military and police said five soldiers and five paramilitary border policemen were hurt.
The incident was the latest in a wave of amplified tensions in which Palestinian stabbings, shootings and car rammings have killed 28 Israelis and a U.S. citizen since October.
Israeli security forces have killed at least 170 Palestinians, 112 of whom Israel says were assailants, while most others were shot dead during violent anti-Israeli protests.
The Qalandia camp is situated north of Jerusalem and on the outskirts of Ramallah, the Palestinian seat of government. It has frequently violent clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli troops.
The intensifying wave of bloodshed have been fueled by several factors, including a dispute over Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound and the failure of several rounds of peace talks to secure the Palestinians an independent state in Israeli-occupied territory.
Palestinian leaders have fear for youngsters who see no future ahead amidst the current situation.