3 Israelis injured in Palestinian attack on West Bank settlement
Jerusalem, Jul 16 (EFE).- An Israeli man aged around 35 was seriously wounded after being shot in an apparent Palestinian attack at the entrance of the Tekoa settlement, situated close to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem in occupied West bank, while his two daughters suffered minor injuries.
Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said that it was treating the man, who was conscious and stable but in a critical condition due to bullet injuries.
The MDA also treated the two girls, aged 9 and 14, who received minor shrapnel injuries.
An MDA spokesperson said soon after that a team of paramedics had transferred the three victims to the Shaare Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem.
The Israel Defense Forces said soldiers were looking for the suspects involved in the attack against settlers.
A military spokesperson said that the shots were fired from a vehicle that was passing the Tekoa intersection.
Recent weeks have witnessed a rise in Palestinian attacks against settlements and Israeli military check-posts in the area, many of them being claimed by Hamas, following a large-scale IDF military operation earlier this month – which included both ground and aerial assets – against the city of Jenin in northern West Bank.
Jenin has been a historic stronghold of the Palestinian movement, and has been dubbed a terrorism hotspot in the area by Israel.
The occupied West Bank has been witnessing its biggest spiral in violence since the Second Intifada (2000-2005), as 161 Palestinians have already been killed in clashes this year.
Although the majority of the deceased consisted of militants who clashed with Israeli troops and attackers, many civilians including 27 minors have also been killed.
At the same time, the area has witnessed the proliferation of new Palestinian armed groups, which have been carrying out an increasing number of attacks and have killed 27 Israelis – most of them settlers – including five minors and 3 solders. EFE
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