A photo from the Magen David Adom ambulance service shows the scene of a suspected shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba.
Late on October 29, a Palestinian gunman opened fire near the settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank, killing an Israeli man and wounding four other people.
The shooting attack took place at a convenience store owned by a Palestinian, which is located between Kiryat Arba and Hebron. The man killed in the attack was identified as Ronen Hanania. He was reportedly at the store with his son when the gunman opened fire.
One of the wounded, a medic named Ofer Ohana, is in a serious condition. He was reportedly shot by the gunman as he arrived on the scene.
The gunman was killed during the attack. CCTV footage shows him getting rammed by a local security officer then shot dead by an off-duty soldier. He was later identified as Muhammed Kamel al-Jabari, a member of the Palestinian Hamas Movement.
Shortly after the attack, an Israeli man was lightly wounded when stones were hurled at his car near the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Amos. A few hours later, shots were fired toward Israeli troops from a passing car near the town of Bani Na’im, without causing any casualties. The gunmen were able to flee.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz held a meeting with military chief Aviv Kohavi, and the head of the Shin Bet security agency, Ronen Bar, following the shooting attack. During the meeting, he instructed officials to “formulate operational measures according to the situation,”
Within a few hours from the meeting, Israeli troops raided the house of al-Jabari to map it out for a potential demolition. Three people, including the gunman’s brother, were arrested.
The deadly shooting attack came amid high tensions in the West Bank. Palestinian gunmen carried out dozens of attacks on Israeli troops and setters in the occupied region over the last few months. Israel responded with a series of raids and security operations, which saw the arrest of more than 2,000 Palestinians and the death of over 100 others.
The security situation in the West Bank will not likely improve as long as Israel is pressuring the Palestinian population there.
