UPDATE 2 - 9 Israelis injured in shooting attack in occupied West Bank

AL QASSAM’S STATEMENT ADDED, ONE DECK ADDED

By Anadolu staff

Nine Israelis were injured on Friday in a shooting attack near the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel in the northern West Bank, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported that three of the injured are in a “critical condition.”

The incident occurred aboard a bus traveling near the settlement, the daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that the perpetrator of the attack has been “neutralized,” though further details about the shooter’s identity and the circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear.

In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that the Civil Affairs Authority, which liaises with the Israeli side, informed it of the death of Samer Mohammad Ahmad Hussein, 46, who was fatally shot by Israeli forces near Salfit.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that Hussein, a resident of Einabus village in the south of Nablus in the northern West Bank, carried out the shooting near the Ariel settlement.

They also reported that Israeli forces stormed Einabus following the attack and raided Hussein's home.

Later, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack and identifying Hussein as the assailant.

Tensions have been running high across the West Bank since Israel launched a deadly military offensive against the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 44,300 people since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 800 Palestinians have since been killed and over 6,450 others injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied territory, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark advisory opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's decades-long occupation of Palestinian land "illegal" and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi