RNA - “A Palestinian opened fire at a bus stop killing 2 Israelis, severely injuring 1 & injuring others at Asaf Junction, north of Jerusalem [al-Quds,]” the Israeli army said on its Twitter account.
Israel’s Army Radio claimed that the armed Palestinian had been shot by an armed passerby.
Hamas claimed the shooting attacks.
Amid the heightened tensions, Israeli forces encircled the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and sent in reinforcements.
The shooting came hours after Israeli forces shot dead three Palestinians, including two Hamas members in the West Bank.
Israeli troops shot dead a young Palestinian over an alleged stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem al-Quds on Thursday.
Israeli troops also killed two Palestinians accused by the regime’s military of carrying out shooting attacks in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military has also confirmed that a young Palestinian was killed during an arrest attempt in the city of Nablus.
According to Press TV, Ashraf Na’alwa, 23, was accused of killing two Israelis in the Barkan industrial zone of the occupied West Bank in October.
Israeli forces also shot dead a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank last night for his alleged involvement in a Sunday shooting attack near the Ofra settlement.
Hamas – which governs the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip -- on Thursday confirmed that those killed were its members.
“Resistance in the West Bank will never stop until the (Israeli) Occupation is removed from all our land and we regain all our rights,” Hamas said.
The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority also blame Israel’s illegal settlement activities on occupied Palestinian land for renewed tensions in the West Bank.
“The international community bears part of the responsibility for the aggression by the occupation and the settlers because of its silence towards these attacks,” said Palestinian government spokesman Youssef Al-Mahmoud.
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