Israeli officials carry a body at the scene of a shooting attack by Palestinian gunmen near the Maale Adumim settlement, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank February 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Three gunmen opened fire Thursday morning on the road near a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, killing one Israeli and wounding at least eight, police said, as violence persists in the territory. Two of the attackers were killed and a third was found later and detained.
Police said the attackers took advantage of the slow morning traffic around 7:30 a.m. Thursday on the main highway east of Jerusalem and opened fire with automatic weapons at cars waiting near a checkpoint.
Also Read | Gaza war hits Israeli economy with 19.4% Q4 drop
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet, said late Wednesday that new attempts are underway to reach a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that could pause the war in Gaza. But unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, he said, Israel will launch a ground offensive into the crowded southern city of Rafah during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel’s war in Gaza has driven some 80% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes. Most heeded Israeli orders to flee south and around 1.5 million are packed into Rafah near the border with Egypt.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage. About a fourth of some 130 captives still being held are believed to be dead. Israel has laid waste to much of the Palestinian territory in response. Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed.
