Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a gas station near a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, killing at least four and injuring four others, Israeli military said.<\/p>\n
The military said on Tuesday in a statement that two Palestinian men armed with M16 rifles arrived by car at a gas station adjacent to the settlement of Eli and opened fire on civilians who were sitting at a restaurant there.<\/p>\n
One of the gunmen was shot and killed by a civilian at the scene. The other fled, prompting a manhunt. As part of the pursuit, “blockages have been set up in the area,” the army said.<\/p>\n
The Homefront Command issued a statement requiring the residents of Eli to stay indoors and lock doors and windows, Xinhua news agency reported.<\/p>\n
“No exits allowed until the conclusion of the event (the manhunt). Driving in and out of the area is forbidden until further notice,” it said.<\/p>\n
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said in a statement that four deaths were declared at the scene, while the four injured, one with critical injuries, two moderate and the other slight, needed hospital care.<\/p>\n
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV news reported that the killed gunman was identified as Muhand Shada, a 25-year-old resident of the village of Urif near the West Bank city of Nablus and a member of Hamas, the ruling Islamist movement of the Palestinian enclave Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s office said in a statement “an operational situation assessment” meeting will be convened in the evening with the Army Chief-of-Staff, the director of the Shin Bet internal security service and additional senior officials. The meeting will take place amid growing calls in the far-right government for launching a large-scale military campaign in the West Bank.<\/p>\n
The attack came a day after Israeli forces, supported by a rare use of attack helicopters, killed six Palestinians, including a 15-year-old teenager, and injured at least 90 others, in an hour-long gunbattle in Jenin in the northern West Bank.<\/p>\n