Israeli army shuts Jericho in West Bank after shooting attack

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – The Israeli army sealed off the West Bank city of Jericho on Thursday after three settlers were injured in a shooting attack, according to witnesses.

Military barriers were erected on main roads in the city with Israeli soldiers launching a manhunt for suspected shooters, eyewitnesses said.

Three Israeli settlers were injured early Thursday when two cars came under fire near the town of Al-Auja in the West Bank, Israel’s Magen David Adom national ambulance service said.

The Israeli army said a Palestinian carried out the attack and fled the scene.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip after a cross-border attack by Hamas last October.

More than 450 Palestinians have since been killed and 4,700 others injured in the occupied territory, according to Health Ministry figures.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza, where nearly 32,500 people have been killed.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala