Ramallah, (Asian independent) At least two Israelis were injured in a shooting attack carried out by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank, according to Palestinian and Israeli security sources.
The attack took place on Tuesday in Huwara village in Nablus city, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Israeli victims, both in their thirties, were injured by glass shards when the gunman opened fire on their vehicle, said Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical service.
They were treated at the scene and their injuries are not considered to be life-threatening, Magen David Adom added.
Israeli media outlets reported that the gunman fled the scene in a vehicle, while Palestinian sources confirmed that the Israeli military deployed forces to the Huwara village and closed checkpoints in Nablus after the shooting.
The shooting attack was praised by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the ruler of Gaza. In a statement, the spokesperson of Hamas, Hazem Qassem, said the attack was part of the Palestinians’ “ongoing struggle to expel the occupiers from Palestinian land and defend our sanctities.”
The attack came hours after a military manoeuvre was carried out by armed Palestinian factions, including Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, and others, in the Gaza Strip.
The manoeuvre, titled “Hard Corner 4”, was held for the fourth year in a row to simulate a possible conflict with the Israeli army in Gaza. During the manoeuvre, masked militants launched long-distance rockets at the Gaza Sea.