Israeli troops are currently searching the town where the attack happened to identify the culprits. It came a day before the scheduled visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to discuss Israeli plans to annex a chunk of the West Bank.
A 21-year-old Israeli sergeant was killed on Tuesday after a large rock was thrown at his head during a predawn raid in a Palestinian town, the Israeli Defence Forces confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.
IDF spokesman Hidai Zilberman said that Staff Sgt. Amit Ben Yigal was taking part in an operation in Ya'bad, in northern West Bank, to arrest four Palestinians suspected of terrorism and stone-throwing.
When the Israeli soldiers were escorting the four suspects, someone hurled the rock off a rooftop at Ben Yigal at around 4:30 a.m. local time. Despite the soldier wearing a helmet, he was heavily wounded and was later pronounced dead in a hospital.
Ben Yigal, who was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class, has become the first IDF death in action of this year. The military said they had launched an investigation and troops were operating in the village searching for those who threw the rock.
What was the reaction?
Several top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin, condemned the attack and offered their condolences to the soldier's family.
No group has claimed responsibility for his death yet,…
