JERUSALEM — A drive-by shooting at a busy intersection in the West Bank has left a man driving a car with Israeli license plates fatally shot. This incident occurred just hours after a violent clash in the Israeli-occupied territory resulted in the deaths of seven Palestinians and a member of Israel’s paramilitary border police.
The victim in the drive-by shooting was identified as a Palestinian resident of Jerusalem, who was presumably mistaken for an Israeli due to the license plates on his car. This shooting is just one of many carried out by Palestinian militants against Israelis in the West Bank over the years.
According to the Magen David Adom rescue service, the attackers fired through the victim’s front windshield. Paramedics who arrived at the scene found the man unresponsive in his car. Meanwhile, the Israeli army reported that security forces were conducting a search for the shooter. Israeli media also stated that an abandoned car likely used in the attack was found, and the suspect had fled on foot.
The violent confrontation earlier in the day occurred when Israeli security forces were conducting a patrol to search for roadside bombs in the northern town and refugee camp of Jenin. A roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle of the paramilitary border police, resulting in the death of a policewoman and the injury of three others. In response, an Israeli military helicopter targeted Palestinians in the area who were throwing explosives at Israeli vehicles, resulting in the deaths of seven Palestinians.
The latest events mark a surge in deadly military raids and an increase in restrictions on Palestinian residents across the West Bank during the Israel-Hamas war. The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that Israeli forces have killed 330 Palestinians in the West Bank since a cross-border attack by Hamas in southern Israel. Most of these fatalities occurred during shootouts in the West Bank, which the Israeli military attributes to operations to arrest Palestinian gunmen.
Overall, these recent developments underscore the ongoing cycle of violence and tensions in the region, with both Israeli and Palestinian communities continuing to suffer the consequences of the conflict.