Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a forceful response after an attack in the occupied West Bank left one Israeli dead and four Palestinians killed.
Israel’s emergency service, Magen David Adom, said a man in his 30s was killed near the settlement of Havat Gilad, while two other people in their 20s sustained gunshot wounds and were airlifted to hospital, one in serious condition.
The Israeli military said the attack occurred after assailants reportedly seized the weapon of a security officer who responded to an incident involving Israeli hikers near Havat Gilad before opening fire.
In response, the military announced plans for extensive counterterrorism operations across the area, cancelled leave for troops in the West Bank and began deploying additional forces as it searched for the attackers.
Netanyahu said Israel would “act with full force against the terrorists and those who orchestrate and sponsor them,” adding that he would convene a meeting of senior security officials.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian health ministry said four Palestinians were killed and four others injured, three of them critically, in the nearby town of Tel. The circumstances surrounding the deaths were not immediately clear.
Violence in the occupied West Bank has intensified since the outbreak of the Gaza war, with frequent military raids, Palestinian attacks and settler violence.
According to official Israeli figures, at least 47 Israelis, including civilians and security personnel, have been killed in attacks or military operations linked to the conflict since the war began.
The Palestinian health ministry says more than 1,090 Palestinians, including militants and civilians, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank during the same period.
More than 500,000 Israeli settlers live in settlements across the occupied West Bank alongside about three million Palestinians. The settlements are regarded as illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes.
