A shooting near the Kedumim illegal settlement in the northern West Bank killed three Israelis and injured seven, prompting widespread Israeli military searches and strong political reactions.
The Israeli emergency services have confirmed the death of three people in a shooting operation near the Kedumim settlement, east of Qalqilya in the northern West Bank.
Israeli media reported that the victims were two women and a man, all of whom were traveling in two private cars. The incident also resulted in the injury of eight others, one of them critically.
Israeli military radio cited a security source stating that the operation was carried out by three armed Palestinians who opened fire on a bus and several cars.
Local Palestinian platforms broadcasted footage from the scene of the shooting, reporting that the incident occurred near the village of al-Funduq, east of the occupied city of Qalqilya.
🚨ISRAELI AMBULANCE SERVICES: The Israeli ambulance announced the killing of 3 Israelis and the wounding of 7 others in a shooting operation near the Kedumim settlement in the northern West Bank. pic.twitter.com/ZUzi1frJ3w
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 6, 2025
Israeli occupation forces were deployed to the site of the attack and launched a wide search operation for the attackers. Eyewitnesses told Anadolu Agency that the Israeli army closed the entrances to Qalqilya and several towns in the northern West Bank, as well as a main road linking Nablus and Qalqilya.
They added that the army had sent additional military reinforcements to the village of Al-Funduq and began searching for evidence, including surveillance camera footage in the town and neighboring villages.
Sources told Al-Jazeera that illegal Israeli Jewish settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles near the village of Burin, south of Nablus, following the Kedumim attack.
The sources also confirmed that Israeli forces detained several workers from a factory in the village of Imatin, east of Qalqilya, after the attack.
Reactions
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the attack, saying: “We will reach the killers and hold them accountable, along with anyone who assisted them. No one will be spared.”
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that “terrorism in the West Bank, Gaza, and Iran is the same and must be defeated.” He called for an “urgent government session to change the approach and eliminate terrorism in the West Bank.”
Meanwhile, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said: “Those seeking to end the war in Gaza will get a war in the West Bank.” He demanded that Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen “treat Jenin and Nablus like Shujaiya and Beit Hanoun.”
🚨BREAKING: 3 killed, 8 injured in shooting attack on Route 55 near Al-Funduq (between Karnei Shomron & Kedumim). Bus driver seriously wounded, 2 moderate, 5 mild injuries. pic.twitter.com/DbKLOZAO4j
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) January 6, 2025
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that “those following Hamas’s path in Gaza and supporting the killing and harm of Jews” would “pay a heavy price.” He said that he had instructed the army “to act strongly wherever the killers are heading.”
On the other hand, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid addressed the ministers, saying: “You are the government, and you are leading Israel from one disaster to another.”
Failed Tactics
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives since October 7, 2023, the Israeli army and settlers have escalated their violence in the West Bank, killing and wounding thousands while arresting over 11,000 Palestinians.
The Israeli military assaults and settler-led pogroms have provoked a strong response from Palestinian resistance groups, especially in the northern West Bank towns and refugee camps.
25 Days of Palestinian Authority Violence – What is Happening in Jenin?
Under Israeli pressure, the Palestinian Authority (PA) has also participated in efforts to suppress the resistance. While PA violence has primarily focused on the Jenin refugee camp, PA security forces have carried out raids in other Palestinian areas across the West Bank.
This latest attack comes in the wake of this Israeli-PA crackdown, raising questions about the effectiveness of such violent tactics, which have failed to achieve any strategic victory for Israel in Gaza as well, despite 15 months of ongoing genocide.
(PC, AJA)
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