The Israeli army announced that its soldiers opened fire on a woman riding a motorcycle on Wednesday, who was attempting to run them over in the occupied West Bank and subsequently brandished a knife. The Palestinian Health Ministry stated that the woman died as a result of her injuries. There was no mention of any casualties on the Israeli side.
This incident follows heightened tensions after a march by Jewish nationalists on Tuesday in Jerusalem, which was followed by the launch of incendiary balloons from Gaza that Israel responded to with airstrikes. The Israeli army stated that the woman "attempted to run over several soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces" near the Palestinian village of Hazma, northeast of Jerusalem. The statement noted, "Reports of an attempted double attack by running over and stabbing were received near the village of Hazma close to Ramallah. The assailant was neutralized at the scene."
In recent weeks, the West Bank has seen an escalation in violence. Last Thursday, Israeli special forces killed a leader of the Islamic Jihad movement and two members of the Palestinian security forces in a gunfight in Jenin, northern West Bank. Two Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on Friday and Saturday; the first during a confrontation with Israeli forces in the West Bank, and the second while carrying a knife at a military checkpoint near Jerusalem.
