Image Credits-AFP
An Israeli man has tragically lost his life, and 13 others have sustained injuries in an attack by three Palestinian gunmen near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank. The assailants opened fire with automatic weapons on vehicles waiting at a checkpoint on a highway outside Maale Adumim.
Security forces and armed civilians swiftly responded to the attack, killing two of the assailants and apprehending the third. While Palestinian armed group Hamas did not claim responsibility for the attack, they did commend it, further heightening tensions in the region.
This incident comes amidst a surge in violence in the West Bank, a consequence of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. Since Hamas’s deadly assaults on Israel in October, the West Bank has witnessed a significant escalation in hostilities.
According to the United Nations, at least 394 Palestinians, including members of armed groups, attackers, and civilians, have lost their lives in conflict-related incidents in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel since the outbreak of violence. Meanwhile, 12 Israelis, including four security personnel, have also been killed during this period.
The attack took place near the al-Zaim checkpoint on Highway 1, a vital artery connecting Maale Adumim with Jerusalem. The assailants arrived at the scene in two vehicles, armed with firearms, including an M-16 rifle and a Carlo sub-machine gun. They indiscriminately opened fire on vehicles caught in a traffic jam, causing chaos and carnage.
Among the casualties was 26-year-old Matan Elmaliach, a resident of Maale Adumim, who tragically succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Additionally, 13 others sustained injuries, including a pregnant woman who is in a serious condition after being shot in the upper body.
The attackers, identified as three Palestinian men, including two brothers from Bethlehem, were swiftly neutralised by security forces and civilians. In response to the attack, Israeli officials have called for heightened security measures, including the distribution of more weapons to civilians for self-defence and the expansion of settlements like Maale Adumim.
Hamas has described the attack as a “natural response” to what they perceive as Israeli aggression in Gaza and the West Bank. The incident serves as a grim reminder of the deep-seated tensions and violence that continue to plague the region.
