Israel kills Palestinian amid tensions in West Bank, Gaza over UAE peace deal

Israeli soldiers have shot dead a Palestinian man near the West Bank city of Ramallah as tensions mount in the Palestinian territories over a recent normalization deal between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Tel Aviv regime.

Israeli media reported on Thursday that the regime forces fired at three Palestinians, who were burning tires in the village Deir Abu Masha'al, west of Ramallah.

One of the Palestinians was hit in his arm and died at the scene, but the two others fled the scene, the reports said.

The Israeli military claimed that the Palestinians were preparing to hurl Molotov cocktails at cars.

Tensions has been running high in the occupied West Bank and the blockaded Gaza since last Thursday, when Israel and the UAE announced in a joint statement, issued by the White House, that they had “agreed to the full normalization of relations.”

All Palestinian factions have unanimously condemned the UAE-Israel deal. President Mahmoud Abbas has warned other Arab countries not to follow in Abu Dhabi’s footsteps.

Abbas: UAE stabbed Palestine in back by normalizing with Israel, others must not follow suit

President Abbas slams the UAE for stabbing the Palestinian nation in the back by making peace with Israel, warning other Arab states not to follow suit.

Protests against ‘betrayal to Palestine’

On Wednesday, hundreds of Palestinian people held a protest at the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya to vent their anger at the normalization agreement.

Members of the Gaza-based Hamas resistance group and the Fatah faction of Abbas' Palestinian Authority, headquartered in the West Bank, took part in the demonstration.

“Today we tell the world that we are united against ‘the deal of the century,’ annexation and normalization,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told the rally.

“Any normalization legitimizes the occupation of Palestinian territories,” he added. “It’s a stab in the back.”

Clashes erupted after the protesters threw stones at Israeli forces, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

A similar protest was also held in Gaza City against the US-brokered deal between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv, with the Participants chanting “normalization is betrayal to Jerusalem and Palestine.”

The protesters burned Israeli and US flags and trampled on posters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump.

The demonstrators further voiced their support for Abbas’ rejection of Trump's self -proclaimed “deal of the century”.

Denouncing the UAE-Israel deal, senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya said, “Normalization with the occupation harms us and doesn't serve us. Instead, it serves and promotes the occupation in its projects that target Palestine and the region."

Israeli army strikes Gaza

Early on Thursday, Israeli army tanks struck Gaza, responding to incendiary balloon launched from the coastal sliver the previous day that caused fires in the occupied territories.

At least 28 fires broke out in the Gaza border communities on Wednesday, according to the Israeli Walla news website.

The Israeli Army Spokesperson's Unit said tanks struck Hamas “military posts,” adding, “The strike was executed in response to the launch of explosive and incendiary balloons from the territory of the Gaza Strip.”

Gaza security officials said the fire hit Hamas observation posts near al-Maghazi and Al-Bureij refugee camps in the center of the strip, and the town of Khan Yunis, further south.

They, however, noted that the Israeli attack caused no casualties.

It was the ninth night the Israeli military targeted Gaza amid growing tensions with Hamas.

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