One Israeli national was killed and three others were injured on Tuesday in a car-ramming and stabbing attack in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military and ambulance service, which described the incident as a terror attack.
The Israeli military said soldiers shot and killed two attackers, though it did not release further details.
Explosive materials were also found inside the attackers’ vehicle and were being neutralised by bomb disposal teams, according to a Reuters report.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility.
The attack happened between Bethlehem and Hebron, at a busy junction leading to several Israeli settlements known collectively as the Etzion bloc.
According to the Israeli ambulance service, a 30-year-old man died from a stab wound.
A woman was critically injured, while a man and a boy sustained moderate injuries.
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What happened?
The incident comes amid the ongoing war in Gaza, where a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has remained in place since October 10.
{{/usCountry}}The incident comes amid the ongoing war in Gaza, where a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has remained in place since October 10.
{{/usCountry}}In the West Bank, Palestinians have been living under tighter military restrictions and facing a surge in violent attacks by Jewish settlers.
International pressure on Israel to rein in settler violence has been growing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he would urgently convene cabinet ministers to ensure Israelis responsible for recent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank are held accountable, Reuters reported.
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Israeli settlers set fire to homes
On Monday, Israeli settlers set fire to homes and vehicles in Jab'a, a Palestinian village near Bethlehem, following an earlier attack on property and civilians in the village of Sa'ir, the WAFA news agency reported, citing officials.
"The Jewish rioters in Judea and Samaria harm the State of Israel, disgrace Judaism, and cause damage to the settlement project," Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on X on Monday.
"They are not us. They are not the State of Israel. The IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Israel Police must act decisively and firmly to stop this rampage, which is also directed at our soldiers and police officers."
Earlier this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that settlers carried out at least 264 attacks on Palestinians in October, the highest monthly number since the UN began tracking such incidents in 2006.
The West Bank, home to about 2.7 million Palestinians, has long been central to aspirations for a future Palestinian state alongside Israel. But successive Israeli governments have encouraged the rapid expansion of Israeli settlements, further fragmenting the territory.