JERUSALEM — A Hamas militant on Thursday opened hearth close to an Israeli settlement within the occupied West Bank, killing an Israeli soldier, a day after Israeli forces withdrew from the biggest navy operation within the West Bank in 20 years. The Palestinian attacker was shot and killed by Israeli forces, the military mentioned.
The taking pictures got here on the heels of the Israeli withdrawal from the close by Jenin refugee camp after a two-day offensive meant to crack down on Palestinian militants. The operation destroyed the camp’s slim roads and alleyways, despatched 1000’s of individuals fleeing their properties and killed 12 Palestinians. One Israeli soldier additionally was killed.
Thursday’s taking pictures close to the West Bank settlement of Kedumim raised questions concerning the effectiveness of the Israeli raid, which got here after practically a 12 months and a half of Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed within the space. It additionally may immediate calls from members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right authorities for added navy incursions.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a firebrand settler chief, lives within the space of the taking pictures. Smotrich additionally oversees planning of settlements within the West Bank.
The Hamas militant group claimed duty for the taking pictures, saying it was a “natural response” to the Jenin incursion. It mentioned the 19-year-old attacker, Ahmed-Yassin Ghaidan, had focused Smotrich’s settlement.
“The enemy will know that its massacre in Jenin only increased our people’s insistence on resistance and adherence to its approach until liberation,” the group mentioned.
The military mentioned that the shooter opened hearth on Israeli forces that had stopped his automobile for an inspection. The man drove away and was shot lifeless after a quick chase.
Late Thursday, the military recognized the soldier as Staff Sgt. Shilo Yosef Amir.
The West Bank has seen a greater than yearlong spike in violence that has created a problem for Netanyahu’s far-right authorities, which is dominated by ultranationalists who’ve referred to as for more durable motion towards Palestinian militants solely to see the preventing worsen.
Over 140 Palestinians have been killed this 12 months within the West Bank, and Palestinian assaults concentrating on Israelis have killed at the least 25 folks.
Israel captured the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip within the 1967 Mideast warfare. The Palestinians search these territories for his or her hoped-for unbiased state.
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