UPDATE - Israeli army kills Palestinian who opened fire at military checkpoint

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Zain Khalil and Gulsen Topcu

JERUSALEM / RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian youth Wednesday who opened fire at a military checkpoint, killing a soldier, state media reported.

The incident occurred after 11 days of extensive combing operations to find Uday Al-Tamimi, 22, in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem.

According to state broadcaster Kan, Israeli authorities have confirmed the death of Al-Tamimi, adding that a hand grenade was found in his clothes.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid congratulated the Israeli security forces, saying Al-Tamimi was attempting to "carry out another attack."

"We will act hard and without hesitation against terrorism," he added.

On Oct. 8, Al-Tamimi opened fire at the Shuafat military checkpoint, killing Sgt. Noa Lazar and wounding another.

Israeli forces had launched search operations in the Shuafat camp and the neighboring town of Anata, which led to violent confrontations with the residents and the arrest of a number of people.

A general strike will be held in Palestine on Thursday to mourn Al-Tamimi and protest Israel's crimes, the Fatah movement said in a written statement.

Fatah called on people to escalate tensions at the points of conflict with Israeli forces in all cities to show loyalty to the Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and support to the resistance movement.

Meanwhile, Palestinian factions, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) issued statements to decry the killing of Al-Tamimi.

"Al-Tamimi’s determination and persistence to resist the occupation challenge the occupiers and warn them of the dark days when their soldiers will be targeted," Hamas noted.

Islamic Jihad said the "martyrdom" of Al-Tamimi will not stop the protests of the people in the occupied West Bank.

The PFLP, for its part, underlined that Al-Tamimi was "martyred" after putting the Israeli forces into a state of hysteria and fear and keeping the security forces busy for days.

* Writing by Ikram Imane Kouachi and Zehra Nur Duz