Four people were killed and at least four more were wounded in shootings near the settlement of Eli in the West Bank, Israeli authorities and emergency services said Tuesday.
One of the suspected gunmen was killed at the scene by a civilian, and the second was killed by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency forces after they tracked down the car he was traveling in, the agencies said in a joint statement.
The four wounded were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem or Petach Tikva, the Magen David Adom rescue service said.
Hamas, a Palestinian militant movement, claimed the gunman killed at the scene of the shootings was a member, calling the attack “a natural response” to the Israeli raid on Jenin a day earlier that left six Palestinians dead.
The shooting attack began in a restaurant near a gas station, where two gunmen shot dead three civilians, said Moti Bukchin, a spokesman for the Zaka rescue service.
The gunmen then came out of the restaurant and fatally shot a civilian refueling his car at the gas stations, Bukchin said.
Another civilian shot and neutralized one of the gunmen while the second fled, the Zaka spokesman said.
Zaka is handling the bodies of the four dead, he said.
Maj. Nir Dinar, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, said the terrorist who had been neutralized at the scene was dead.
Israeli Security Agency, known as Shin Bet, and IDF forces later “shot and neutralized” the second suspect, according to a joint statement from the two organizations.
Shin Bet tracked a Toyota vehicle in which the suspect fled, the statement said.
“During the arrest attempt, the suspect tried to escape from the vehicle, was shot, and neutralized by the forces. No injuries to our forces,” the statement said.
The statement said a weapon used in the attack was found in the car.
Israeli troops had set up roadblocks in the area, the IDF said.
Residents of Eli were told to stay in their homes while the search for the second gunman was ongoing.
Hamas later claimed the gunman killed at the site of the attack was a member, acting in response to a huge firefight in Jenin on Monday.
“We mourn the martyr Muhammad Shehadeh, and we affirm that the operation south of Nablus is a clear message to the criminal occupation government,” Hamas said in a statement referring to Israel.
The shooting “came as a natural response to the Jenin massacre yesterday,” the militant group said.
Hamas said Shehadeh was 26 and from the village of Urif, southwest of Nablus.
Tuesday’s shooting is the deadliest attack on Israelis since January 27.
Seven Israelis were killed in the January attack near a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov area of Jerusalem.
Neve Yaakov is built on land which Israel captured in 1967, which makes it a settlement under international law.
Israel unilaterally annexed it along with other parts of east Jerusalem in 1980 and considers it a neighborhood of Jerusalem.
By Agencies
