Two Israeli soldiers wounded in Palestinian shooting
Two Israeli soldiers have been wounded, the military says, in a drive-by shooting claimed by a Palestinian armed group in the flashpoint town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) said in a statement on Saturday that it had carried out the shooting. The military said it was in pursuit of the suspect.
It was the third shooting reported within a month in Huwara, a town that has been a focus of Israeli military raids and a settler rampage in recent weeks.
The incident raised fears of escalation during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan which partly coincides with the Jewish holiday of Passover, a time when violence has touched off in the past.
Reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim said that “any hope of this being a calm beginning to the holy month of Ramadan evaporated on this first Saturday of the month”.
“One soldier, according to the Israeli military, has been severely injured. The other soldier is facing moderate injuries and the hunt is on for the shooter or shooters,” she added.
Israel-Palestine conflict
Two Israeli soldiers wounded in Palestinian shooting
The incident raises fears of escalation during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan which partly coincides with the Jewish holiday of Passover.
An Israeli soldier aims his weapon in the Palestinian town of Huwara.
Two Israeli soldiers have been wounded, the military says, in a drive-by shooting claimed by a Palestinian armed group in the flashpoint town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP) said in a statement on Saturday that it had carried out the shooting. The military said it was in pursuit of the suspect.
It was the third shooting reported within a month in Huwara, a town that has been a focus of Israeli military raids and a settler rampage in recent weeks.
The incident raised fears of escalation during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan which partly coincides with the Jewish holiday of Passover, a time when violence has touched off in the past.
Reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim said that “any hope of this being a calm beginning to the holy month of Ramadan evaporated on this first Saturday of the month”.
“One soldier, according to the Israeli military, has been severely injured. The other soldier is facing moderate injuries and the hunt is on for the shooter or shooters,” she added.
Immediately after the shooting, the maintain horoughfare leading into Huwara and shops were closed while checkpoints around the town prevented people from getting through.
“People were prevented from moving on the main thoroughfare,” said Ghoneim, adding that there were clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli army as it entered Huwara.
Israeli media said dozens of settlers held a protest at the entrance of Huwara following Saturday’s shooting and that Israeli forces prevented them from entering the town.