Israeli soldier
© Flickr/Israel Defense ForcesIDF soldiers during Operation Protective Edge
The Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) soldiers shot dead an unarmed Palestinian, who had been rapidly approaching a guard post in the village of Silwad near the West Bank settlement of Ofra, according to the Ynetnews media outlet.

The IDF soldiers reportedly followed the procedure to stop Eyad Zakaria Hamed, a 38-year-old Palestinian, and in accordance with the rules, had to shoot a suspicious individual dead.

No soldiers were injured. The Palestinian was not found to have either weapons, or explosive devices. The investigation is underway, according to the news outlet, citing the IDF Spokesperson Unit.

Palestinians seek the recognition of their independent state, proclaimed in 1988, on the territories of West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity.

The decades-long Israeli-Palestinian tensions escalated in September 2015 with skirmishes between Palestinian youth and Israeli security forces at Temple Mount, spurred by rumors of Israel's plans to restore a Jewish presence there.