Dedi Hayun/Portal
Israeli military and security personnel work at the site of a shooting attack at Tekoa Junction in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday.
Jerusalem CNN –
An Israeli man was seriously injured and two girls injured in a shootout in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli emergency services said on Sunday.
The shooting took place in the Israeli-occupied southern West Bank, which is usually quieter than the north.
The trio were injured after shots were fired from a moving vehicle at Tekoa Junction south of Bethlehem, the IDF said.
The wounded man, in his 30s, is conscious and in serious but stable condition with gunshot wounds, Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency services said.
The girls, aged 9 and 14, were slightly injured in the incident. All three were taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, the MDA said.
Israeli troops were searching for the attackers, the army said.
“We are talking about an area that has not had a major terrorist attack in years,” local mayor Shlomo Ne’eman said in a statement obtained by the Jerusalem Post.
“We all wish the wounded person a speedy recovery and salute the security forces who will soon catch the despicable terrorists and settle the score with them.” We will not give in to the terrorists who are trying to shed Jewish blood and take us out of our country drive out.”
Most of the violence in the West Bank occurred in the north of the region, particularly in Jenin and Nablus. In both cities, Israel has carried out deadly anti-terrorist attacks in recent months and Palestinian militants have targeted civilians, sometimes in response to IDF operations.
The Israeli government and IDF say their military actions in the West Bank aim to root out terrorists and minimize civilian casualties, though the raids have forced hundreds of families to flee their homes and innocent people have been caught in the crossfire.
A major operation earlier this month in Jenin killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 100 others.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military is fighting terror strongholds “doing everything, everything to avoid civilian casualties”. Local residents who told CNN about the incident described it as traumatic and “terrifying.”