Gaza/Ramallah
Palestinian factions have said the shooting incident near Jerusalem, which wounded six Israelis, was a “natural reaction” to ongoing Israeli violations against Palestinians.
Earlier on Tuesday, a Palestinian gunman who opened fire on a group of Israelis in the settlement of Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, was killed. According to Israeli medics, at least five Israelis were wounded in the latest incident of firing.
Local media quoted hospital sources as saying that another person also suffered minor injuries. Israeli police said in a statement that an off-duty border guard officer retaliated and killed the Palestinian gunman in the settlement, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The operation was carried out in defense of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and in response to the intrusion of residents and the performance of Talmudic rituals in its courtyard,” said Abdulatif al-Qanaua, a spokesman for the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a statement that the attack in Maale Adumim was “in response to the crimes of the occupation, and a blow to all Zionist security measures and barriers”. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement said in a statement that the group “appreciates the heroic commando operation” that was carried out by “a heroic Palestinian resistance fighter”.
According to official figures, 24 people, most of them Israelis, have been killed in attacks by Palestinians since January. In addition, approximately 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers and residents.
