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Israeli Family Attacked in West Bank, and 2 Are Killed Israeli Family Attacked in West Bank, and 2 Are Killed
(about 5 hours later)
JERUSALEM — Two Israeli men were shot dead in a vehicle near Otniel, a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on Friday, and the Israeli authorities locked down a wide area as they searched for the assailant, whom they believe was Palestinian, the Israeli military and local news outlets reported. The shooting was one of the more serious attacks in a recent surge of violence. JERUSALEM — An Israeli father and son were killed and five other members of their family were wounded in a drive-by shooting near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank on Friday.
Yehuda Glick, an official at Otniel, said witnesses had identified the slain men as a father and son, 45 and 18. The men were from Kiryat Arba, another Jewish settlement, Mr. Glick said. They were on their way to the nearby Israeli town of Meitar to attend a pre-wedding meal, known as the groom’s sabbath, for a daughter in the family. The Israeli authorities locked down a wide area as they searched for the assailants, who they believed were Palestinians, the Israeli military and local news outlets reported. Yehuda Glick, an official at Otniel, the settlement close to where the attack occurred, said witnesses had identified the slain men as a father and son, 45 and 18. The men were from Kiryat Arba, another settlement, Mr. Glick said. They were on their way to the nearby Israeli town of Meitar to attend a pre-wedding meal for a daughter in the family.
Five other members of the same family were wounded in the attack, according to Dr. Tzvi Perry, a physician at the Soroka Medical Center in the nearby city of Beersheba, where the wounded were treated, The Associated Press reported. The mother and three young girls were hurt slightly, and another son sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. Five other members of the family were wounded in the attack, according to Dr. Tzvi Perry, a physician at the Soroka Medical Center in the nearby city of Beersheba, where the wounded were treated, The Associated Press reported. The mother and three young girls were slightly hurt, and another son was shot in the leg.
Luba Samri, an Israeli police spokeswoman, said the gunfire appeared to have come from a passing vehicle, according to initial reports. Local media outlets said the Israeli forces were searching particularly around Doura and Yatta, two large Palestinian towns in the area. No group had claimed responsibility for the shooting by Friday evening, though the militant group Hamas and the smaller Palestinian group Islamic Jihad both praised it as “heroic.”
In a statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences and described the attackers as “vile murderers.” He added that Israel would continue to fight terrorism everywhere necessary. Israel’s Channel 10 News reported that the assailants had been waiting in a vehicle at a bend in the road and spotted the victims’ van. They followed it, overtook it and opened fire, first killing the father, the broadcaster reported. The van went off the road, and the son phoned for an ambulance. It appeared that the attackers then opened fire again, killing the son.
The attack appeared similar to one on Oct. 1 near Itamar, a Jewish settlement in the northern West Bank, in which a couple were killed in front of their four young children. That attack was one of the first in the recent flare-up of violence, demonstrations and Palestinian anger. The voice of a man said to have been one of the victims was recorded pleading for help in a call to Israeli emergency services, according to Channel 10, which broadcast the recording. The authenticity of the call could not be immediately verified independently.
Knives rather than guns have been the usual weapons in recent Palestinian attacks on Israelis; in October, there were seven recorded shootings, compared with 65 stabbings. The attack appeared to be similar to one on Oct. 1 near Itamar, a Jewish settlement in the northern West Bank, in which a couple were killed in front of their four young children. That attack is widely seen as one of the first in the recent unrest, which has mostly taken the form of demonstrations, stabbing attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, and attempts to hit them with vehicles. Shootings have been more unusual — at least seven since the latest violence began in October, compared with 65 stabbings, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The attack on Friday took place near Hebron in the southern West Bank, which has emerged as a locus of the uprising. It brought the number of Israelis killed in the latest surge of violence to 13. The shooting on Friday took place near Hebron in the southern West Bank, which has emerged as a locus of the uprising, alongside a surrounding belt of villages. The attack raised the number of Israelis killed in the latest surge of violence to 13.
During the same time, at least 85 Palestinians have been killed. Some were attacking or attempting to attack Israeli soldiers and civilians; others were killed during violent demonstrations. The latest were two Palestinian men killed in demonstrations on Friday, local media reported. A third Palestinian died on Friday from wounds sustained in clashes the previous day, said the Palestinian Ministry of Health. An additional 73 people were wounded in demonstrations in the West Bank and on the Gaza border, mostly from live fire. During the same time, at least 85 Palestinians have been killed. Some were attacking or trying to attack Israeli soldiers and civilians; others were killed during violent demonstrations. The latest were two Palestinian men killed in demonstrations on Friday, local news media reported.
Palestinians and human rights advocacy groups have accused the Israeli police and security forces of adopting a shoot-to-kill policy, saying it amounts to extrajudicial execution of Palestinians suspected of stabbings or attempted stabbings of Israelis. A third Palestinian died on Friday from wounds sustained in clashes the previous day, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. More than 70 people were wounded in demonstrations in the West Bank and on the Gaza border, mostly from live fire on Friday.
No group had claimed responsibility for the shooting attack by Friday evening, though the militant group Hamas and the smaller Palestinian group Islamic Jihad both praised it as “heroic.”