20 (EUROPA PRESS)
At least four Israeli citizens have died and many others have been injured, one of them seriously, by a shooting at a gas station near the settlement of Eli, in the West Bank, according to a preliminary balance of victims confirmed by the ambulance service.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed that the “terrorists” arrived at the gas station aboard a vehicle and “opened fire on the civilians”. A civilian “neutralized” one of the attackers, while the military has launched an operation to search for other possible suspects.
The incident is part of an escalation of violence in the West Bank, where the Israeli Army launched an operation on Monday that ended in Jenin with six Palestinians killed and nearly a hundred wounded, including eight members of the Israeli forces.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, who has called an emergency meeting after the latest attack, had already warned that “all options are on the table” after the raid carried out on Monday, opening the door to a operation on a larger scale in the area.
Although it has not been claimed by any group, the main Palestinian militias have applauded the attack, described by Islamic Jihad as a “natural response” to the “crimes of the occupation.” Hamas has linked it to the recent attacks in Jenin and the “assault” on the Al Aqsa Mosque in April, the Times of Israel reports.
