The Israeli army announced today, Saturday, the death of two Israelis in a shooting incident in the town of Huwara near Nablus in the West Bank. Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee stated: "Following initial reports, there is a suspicion of a sabotage shooting operation targeting a number of Israeli citizens in the Huwara area, which resulted in the death of two Israeli citizens." Adraee confirmed that Israeli army forces have begun pursuing the suspects and have established checkpoints in the area.
In this context, the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz" reported that "the shooting occurred in a car wash," explaining that "ambulance services attempted to save the two men, aged 60 and 30, but they both succumbed to their injuries." Meanwhile, the Islamic Jihad movement stated: "We commend the shooting incident near the Huwara checkpoint as a natural and legitimate response to the crimes of the occupation against the Palestinians." Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif al-Qanou stated that "the shooting incident in Huwara is the result of the steadfast and continuous promise of resistance to defend the Palestinian people and respond to the crimes of the occupation, as well as to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque from the dangers of division and Judaization." He added, "The Palestinian resistance and its heroic fighters have shattered the prestige of the occupation army and its settlement entities."
Earlier, the Israeli channel "N12 News" reported that two Israelis were severely injured in what is suspected to be a shooting attack in the West Bank today, Saturday. Violence in the West Bank has escalated over the past 15 months as Israel has intensified raids, while Palestinians have carried out attacks in the streets, and settlers have attacked Palestinian villages. There are no indications of reviving talks for establishing a Palestinian state. Talks, brokered by the United States, collapsed nearly ten years ago. Israel occupied the West Bank in the 1967 war and has since begun establishing settlements there, actions that most countries consider illegal, which Israel disputes. Palestinians enjoy limited autonomy in the West Bank and remain divided between a Western-backed administration there and Islamist activists from Hamas who control Gaza and reject coexistence with Israel.
