JERUSALEM (AP) — Five people lost their lives Friday in a shooting in the northern West Bank, according to health officials. Four of the victims were Palestinian and one was Israeli. A number of additional people were also wounded in the incident.
The shooting took place near the city of Nablus, but details about exactly what happened were not immediately available. The incident comes amid a recent surge in violence across the Israeli-occupied territory.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, based in Ramallah, the four Palestinian victims were killed by Israeli forces. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service did not identify who was responsible for the death of the Israeli man. Palestinian health officials reported that four Palestinians were receiving medical treatment, with three of them in critical condition. Israel’s rescue service said two injured Israelis were being airlifted out of the West Bank for further care.
The Israeli military released a statement saying its soldiers had responded to reports of an attack on Israeli civilians who were hiking near the settlement of Havat Gilad, located west of Nablus. The military also announced it had placed a “temporary cordon” around Nablus and the nearby Palestinian village of Tell.
