The 24-year-old Ibrahim Al-Shawaf was shot dead in his hometown of Khuza’a, Khan Younis district to the south of the Gaza Strip Saturday by Israeli fire. Eyewitnesses said that Israeli troops fired at a group of Palestinians in the area, hitting Shawaf in his head leading to his instant death.
On Friday, Israel's army chief is said to ordered his forces to halt raids in the Gaza Strip and to launch attacks in the West Bank only with his approval.
Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon issued the orders just hours after Palestinian police completed a deployment in Gaza Strip, taking up positions in the central and southern areas of the strip to prevent attacks on Israeli targets.
Yaalon said Israel would halt military activity in areas of Gaza Strip where Palestinian police have been deployed. Israeli troops will still maintain positions along main roads and near Jewish settlements in Gaza Strip.
Yaalon added that arrest raids in the West Bank must be minimized and will require his personal approval. Soldiers would only target Palestinian activists "if there is an immediate threat by active terror cells, and only with explicit authorization" of the army chief, an army statement said.
