Israeli forces placed the village of Beit Surik under a military lockdown on Tuesday following a deadly shooting attack carried out by a village resident, with all passages and crossings around the village blockaded by the Israeli army and a village-wide curfew being announced by Israeli forces.
Earlier on Tuesday, 37-year-old Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal carried out a shooting attack outside of Israel’s illegal Har Hadar settlement near Beit Surik – the attacker’s hometown – in the occupied West Bank’s Jerusalem district, leaving an Israeli border police officer and two Israeli security guards killed, while the security coordinator of the settlement was also seriously injured during the attack.
Jamal was shot dead on the scene following an exchange of fire amid the attack.
An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that all crossings and passages around the village have been sealed, and that Palestinians were only permitted passage after undergoing security checks or for humanitarian reasons. The nearby village of Beit Iksa was also sealed following the attack, the spokesperson said.
Israeli occupation forces imposes curfew on Beit Surik village https://t.co/zQG1tdrADk pic.twitter.com/iHzMvzNub1
— Arabs Today English (@arabstodayEN) September 26, 2017
Israeli forces had raided the village, including Jamal’s home, when they detained his brother Medhat, according to locals. Locals reported that Israeli forces had destroyed the family’s furniture and other items during the raid. An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an she would look into reports on the raids in the village.
Wafa spoke with Mutassem Qandeel, a member of the village council, who said that Israeli forces had raided the village at 7 am. following the attack and sealed all entrances, while forcing shops to close and announcing a curfew for village residents.
Israeli forces had also forced a United Nations health clinic to close during the raid, Qandeel added.
Palestinians throwing literally everything at Israeli jeeps in Beit Surik, hometown of man who killed 3 Israelis (police, guards) today https://t.co/MIgH28YhMG
— Kaamil Ahmed (@KaamilAhmed) September 26, 2017
Israeli authorities routinely seal entire villages following Palestinian attacks on Israelis, which rights groups have condemned as a form of “collective punishment.” Israeli authorities also advance other punitive measures following attacks, including demolishing the family home of alleged or actual attackers, detaining family members, and withholding the remains of slain Palestinians from relatives.
(Ma’an, PC, Social Media)
