Palestinian stabs Israeli to death in the West Bank
July 27, 2018
The assault comes hours after Hamas promised to avenge Israeli retaliatory strikes that killed three of its members.
A Palestinian assailant stabbed one Israeli to death and wounded two others on Thursday after entering am Israeli settlement near Ramallah in the West Bank.
The 17-year-old attacker was shot and killed by a fellow resident of the Adam settlement, which lies between Jerusalem and Ramallah, local Israeli media reported.
Read more: Amid Israel-Hamas violence, Gazans fearful of full-scale war
"A terrorist infiltrated into the community and stabbed three civilians. The terrorist was shot and killed," the Israeli military said.
A 58-year-old victim was said to be seriously wounded but stable. The third victim was slightly wounded in the leg.
Hamas Islamist group, which rules the Palestinian Gaza Strip, praised the attack.
The attack was a "heroic and brave operation that came in response to the daily, ugly crimes conducted by the Israeli occupation against our people." Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.
Most countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank to be illegal. Israel disputes this.
Hamas' call for revenge
Earlier in the day, Hamas had promised revenge after Israeli retaliatory strikes on the coastal enclave killed three of its members.
"The enemy shall pay a high price in blood for the crime which it commits daily against the rights of our people and our fighters," said the al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.
Tensions have worsened between Israel and the Palestinians in the past few months. But the violence has largely gripped the Gaza Strip with the West Bank remaining relatively calm.
At least 140 Palestinians have died in Israeli fire during weekly border protests in the Gaza Strip. Israel says that the protests are a cover for Hamas to carry out attacks, and that most of the dead were militants. Palestinians deny the allegations.
The latest flare-up comes just days after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in a deal brokered by the United Nations and Egypt. The ceasefire followed a dramatic surge in violence after an Israeli soldier was killed along the border for the first time in years.
ap/bw (Reuters, AFP)