The children were on a hike to celebrate the bar mitzvah of one of the children, and walked near the Palestinian village of Qusra, located near Nablus in the northern West Bank, according to reports.
Parents escorting the hiking children reportedly said at least 30 Palestinian men surrounded them and started throwing rocks. A parent on the hike, one of two carrying a gun, fired into the crowd to break it up, killing one of the rock throwers.
Palestinian sources identified the dead man as Mahmoud Odeh, 48, a farmer from Qusra. Two Jewish fathers escorting the hikers also were injured in the clashes.
The parent escorts ushered the boys into a cave to keep them safe until Israeli security forces arrived, according to reports. Security forces reportedly used riot dispersal methods, including tear gas, on both sides to stop the clashes.
Earlier this morning, Palestinians threw rocks at a group of Israeli travelers near the village of Qusra, SE of Nablus. One of the Israeli civilians fired towards the Palestinians in self-defense.
IDF troops arrived at the scene in order to treat the wounded and disperse the riot— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 30, 2017
The Israel Defense Forces said that the Israeli father escorting the students shot at Odeh in “self-defense.”
