A group of Israeli hikers came under stone-throwing attack on Friday after entering a Palestinian village in Gush Etzion. IDF forces who arrived to assist the hikers were also pelted with rocks, according to initial reports. No injuries were reported in the incident.
The hikers had entered the Palestinian village without prior military authorization, a security source confirmed. When dozens of Palestinians began throwing stones at the group, Israeli forces were dispatched to the scene and faced the same treatment. During the confrontation, one suspect allegedly attacked a security officer with rocks and was shot. IDF troops dispersed the crowd and evacuated the hikers from the village.
Gush Etzion is a bloc of Israeli settlements located south of Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank.
