Israeli woman shot dead in West Bank attack
Hebron, Palestinian Territories — AFP
An Israeli woman was shot dead and another man wounded in an attack near the Israel-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Monday, medics and the army said.
The Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement that a woman was “confirmed dead” after she was hit by gunfire.
It added the man travelling with her was in a “serious condition”.
The army, confirming the death of the 40-year-old woman, said the two civilians came under fire when they were driving.
The “shooting attack was carried out from a passing vehicle on Route 60 adjacent to the city of Hebron toward civilians who were driving in the area,” it said in a statement, adding that troops were pursuing the attackers.
The Israeli army deployed troops to the attack site and blocked access to it soon after the incident.
Violent escalation
The West Bank has seen escalation since early this year, with repeated Israeli army raids and violence by Jewish settlers against occupied Palestinian communities. There are also isolated reactionary incidents of reprisal against Israelis.
Saturday’s shooting of an Israeli father and son in Huwara sparked a massive manhunt in the West Bank as Israeli forces searched for the suspected attacker.
As the vicious cycle goes on, Jewish settlers often respond to such incidents “with revenge attacks” on towns and surrounding villages. Collective punishment is meted out to Palestinians through raids, demolitions, arrests, military attacks.
Palestinian group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said Monday’s attack near Hebron was a “natural response” to settlement projects in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
“The operations will continue until the end of the occupation,” it said in a statement.
At least 218 Palestinians have been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so far this year.
Some 31 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have also been killed, according to a tally compiled from official sources on both sides.
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