Israeli soldier wounded in West Bank Thursday dies

An Israeli soldier critically injured by a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Thursday died of his injuries on Saturday, an army statement said.

The English-language statement said that Sergeant Ronen Lubarsky, of the Duvdevan special forces unit, died during the morning, two days after being struck on the head by a stone block thrown during an arrest raid.

Palestinian sources said at the time that the block was thrown at him during a night-time operation to arrest suspects in Al-Amari refugee camp in the city of Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority.

The Israeli military said in Saturday’s statement that the target was Palestinian militant gunmen.

“The operational activity in which (Lubarsky) participated was intended to apprehend a squad of operatives who were involved in shooting attacks,” it said.

It added that he was promoted posthumously to the rank of Staff Sergeant.

His attacker has not been identified.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his “deep sorrow” at the soldier’s death.

“The security forces will reach the terrorist and the state of Israel will bring him to reckoning,” a statement from his office quoted him as saying in Hebrew.

Israeli forces regularly carry out night raids in Palestinian-governed parts of the West Bank to arrest Palestinians suspected of militant activities against Israel.