A day after a fatal raid by Israeli army, at least four Israeli settlers were killed in a shooting by two Palestinian armed men close to an illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank.
The incident near Eli in the northern West Bank on Tuesday left four more settlers injured, according to a statement from rescue services.
Israeli authorities later shot and killed the second suspect near Nablus after he escaped in a cab. One of the shooters was killed on the spot. According to the Israeli military, a citizen “neutralised” one shooter.
Both Palestinians were identified as Mohannad Faleh Shhadeh, 26, and Khaled Mostafa Sbah, 24, from a village Urif near Nablus
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called on a meeting with the army chief of the country and other top security officials to plan a reaction to the attack.
For months, the far-right supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have demanded a significant military action in the occupied West Bank. Later, Netanyahu made a grave threat.
“In recent months, we have demonstrated that we seek vengeance on all murders, without exception. Those that hurt us will either end up in the grave or go to prison. This is what will take place in this situation as well,” the Israeli leader said.
The event occurred the day after a significant Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank resulted in the deaths of six Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp. During the nine-hour raid, at least 91 people suffered injuries.
For the first time in a number of years during the battle, Israel used helicopter gunships in the West Bank, and Palestinian rebels exploded a large roadside bomb underneath an Israeli armoured vehicle.
The shooting on Tuesday was a “response to the crimes of the [Israeli] occupation” in Jenin and other places, according to Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, the organisation in charge of the restricted Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad commended the attack as well, claiming that it was a natural reaction to increasing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
