Israeli police say officers shoot two of the gunmen, and a 3rd tries to flee however is discovered and arrested
At the very least three individuals have been killed and eight wounded when Palestinian gunmen opened fireplace at motorists close to an Israeli checkpoint close to occupied East Jerusalem.
The top of Israel’s ambulance service, Eli Bean, advised the general public broadcaster Kan that two ladies had been critically wounded on Thursday.
Israeli police stated the attackers took benefit of gradual morning visitors on the central freeway east of Jerusalem close to the Maale Adumim settlement within the occupied West Financial institution and opened fireplace with computerized weapons at vehicles ready close to a checkpoint.
A spokesperson stated the gunmen had been Palestinians however gave no additional particulars.
Israeli police stated two gunmen had been killed and a 3rd was arrested.
In response to the assault, far-right Israeli Minister of Nationwide Safety Itamar Ben-Gvir stated freedom of motion for Palestinians needs to be restricted.
“Our proper to life overrides the Palestinians’ freedom of motion,” the official stated, in line with Israeli media reviews.
“I’ll combat for limitations across the villages that can restrict the liberty of motion of the residents of the Palestinian Authority.”
Tensions within the occupied West Financial institution have been exacerbated since Israel’s battle on Gaza started on October 7 following a Hamas assault that killed 1,139 individuals, in line with Israeli figures.
Israel’s retaliation on Gaza for the assault has killed greater than 29,000 Palestinians and wounded near 70,000 individuals, in line with Palestinian well being authorities, and has lowered a lot of the enclave to rubble.
Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Willem Marx stated the assault is an “indication of the frustration that many individuals contained in the occupied West Financial institution and people going through challenges round entry to the Al-Aqsa Mosque are feeling at this very, very fraught time”.
“That is one thing that displays a interval in historical past, a long time in the past, when these sorts of assaults had been extremely frequent in and round Jerusalem,” Marx stated, including that there have been “a number of related incidents” just lately within the West Financial institution and round unlawful settlements.
The capturing “so near Jerusalem at a busy time within the morning subsequent to a serious checkpoint the place there’d be an enormous safety presence is a sign of that frustration”, Marx reported.
Final week, two individuals had been killed by gunmen who police suspect to be Palestinians at a bus cease in southern Israel.