Three Israeli settlers wounded in West Bank shooting

A Palestinian man opened fire on a car at the Taqou checkpoint near Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on Sunday wounding three settlers, including two girls, before fleeing, Israeli authorities said.

The Israeli military said the gunman opened fire on a car from a passing vehicle. Israel's rescue service MDA said three people were wounded, including a 35-year-old with gunshot wounds in serious but stable condition. Two girls, aged 9 and 14, were lightly wounded by flying debris.

The military said forces were on the lookout for the assailant. Palestinian sources told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Israeli troops had deployed in force around the village of Taqou near Bethlehem following the shooting and sealed off roads leading to it.

The Palestinian attack comes amid ongoing deadly raids by the Israeli military on Palestinian towns and cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip which have left over 200 people dead since the beginning of the year.

At least 12 Palestinians were killed in a major Israeli attack on Jenin earlier this month, with Israel using airstrikes for the first time in the West Bank for 20 years.

Israel has occupied the West Bank ever since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. A far-right government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to power in December 2022 and has since stepped-up settlement construction amid increasing violence by settlers.