A Palestinian gunman carried out a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank, injuring three Israelis, including two girls, according to Israeli authorities. The suspect fled the scene but was later captured.
The incident occurred near the Tekoa checkpoint, close to the city of Bethlehem, on Sunday. The Israeli army stated that the assailant opened fire on a car from a vehicle in proximity to the checkpoint.
The Magen David Adom rescue service of Israel reported that a 35-year-old man sustained serious but stable injuries in the shooting. His daughters, aged 9 and 14, suffered minor injuries from flying debris. The family resides in the Israeli settlement of Nokdim in the occupied West Bank, as per Israeli media reports.
In response to the attack, Israeli forces conducted a raid in Bethlehem, resulting in the apprehension of the suspected gunman and two additional suspects. During the operation, the authorities seized the suspect’s vehicle, which contained an M16 assault rifle.
Reports indicate that at least 15 Palestinians sustained injuries during the Israeli raid. Haitham Al-Hadri, the director of Beit Jala Governmental Hospital, stated that the injuries were minor among those who arrived at the hospital, as reported by local news agency Maan.
Several Palestinian political factions characterized the shooting as a natural response to what they perceive as Israeli occupation crimes. The Popular Resistance Committees, in a press release, described the attack as a Palestinian response to “the crimes of the Zionist enemy against our people, our land, and our sanctities.”
Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government have consistently vowed to continue settlement construction.
Tensions in the occupied West Bank have escalated in recent months, with frequent Israeli raids into Palestinian towns leading to heightened confrontations. This has sparked some of the most intense clashes between Israel and the Palestinians in the West Bank in nearly two decades.
Since the beginning of this year, the Palestinian health ministry reported that nearly 195 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces. In separate attacks during the same period, at least 27 Israelis have lost their lives. The ongoing cycle of violence underscores the complex and deeply entrenched nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
