Hundreds of Israeli settlers rampaged through the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank and set fire to cars and buildings, on Wednesday (June 21), reported the local media. Meanwhile, the Palestinian health ministry said a Palestinian man was killed and several others were injured after the Israeli settlers attacked.
The reported rampage comes a day after Palestinian gunmen killed four Israelis near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, the responsibility for which was later claimed by the militant Hamas group which it said was in response to the raid by Israeli forces in Jenin on June 19.
What happened in West Bank on Wednesday?
In an apparent retaliation for the deadly Hamas shooting of four Israelis, Jewish settlers rampaged through Turmus Ayya near the West Bank’s Ramallah. The town is said to be a popular home to wealthy Palestinians, where images and videos show cars set on fire with black smoke swirling above and Palestinian youths throwing stones, reported Reuters.
A resident of TurmusAyya told AFP around “200 settlers” attacked the Palestinian town while the news agency also reported, scorched homes, buildings and wounded people being evacuated by ambulance. A resident Awad Abu Samra told AFP, that the “settlers shot at us and when the police and the Israeli army arrived they shot at us with rubber bullets and fired tear gas.”
The Palestinian health ministry in a statement said, “A martyr arrived at the Palestine Medical Complex from Turmus Ayya after being shot in the chest.” However, the man shot was not identified by the officials. Meanwhile, Palestinian media suggests it was 27-year-old Omar Qattin.
The health ministry also said that 12 others were wounded when the Palestinians clashed with Israeli settlers and troops. Among those injured, at least four were wounded by gunfire, including one listed in serious condition. In a statement, the Israeli military said they condemn the “serious incidents” of settler violence in Turmus Ayya.
It added, “Israeli citizens set fire to Palestinian property a short time ago in Turmus Ayya. Security forces entered the town to put out the fires, prevent friction and collect evidence.” However, they did not address the reports of Palestinians shot by Israeli army personnel.
According to the mayor of Turmus Ayya, as per media reports, some 60 cars and 30 homes were damaged and claimed that some 400 settlers carried out the attack on Wednesday.
Four Israelis shot dead in West Bank
The violence in Turmus Ayya erupted hours after hundreds of mourners had gathered and laid to rest an Israeli teenager, 17-year-old, Nahman Mordof who was shot dead a day earlier by Palestinian gunmen near a Jewish settlement Shilo.
The teenager was one of four killed on Tuesday after Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a roadside restaurant and a gas station by Eli settlement before being shot dead. The responsibility for the attack was later claimed by the Islamist Hamas group which said that the two gunmen were members of its armed wing.
A spokesman for the militant group Hamas, Hazem Qassem called the attack on Tuesday against Israelis as a “response to the crimes of the (Israeli) occupation” in Jenin and elsewhere, as per AFP. The attack came a day after at least six Palestinians were killed and over 90 were injured after an Israeli military raid on Jenin in the occupied West Bank, on Monday.
Among those killed on Monday was a 15-year-old boy Sadil Naghnaghiya. Meanwhile, seven Israeli personnel were wounded after their vehicle was attacked by a roadside bomb during the raid.
(With inputs from agencies)
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