At least 1 killed and several injured in highway shooting in occupied West Bank
Israeli security personnel patrol following the shooting in the occupied West Bank.
Jerusalem (CNN) — At least one person was killed and several others injured on Thursday in a highway shooting in the occupied West Bank on the outskirts of Jerusalem, according to Israeli authorities.
A man in his 20s was killed in the incident, the Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency rescue service said. Five others were shot, with one woman in her 20s in serious condition, it said.
A sixth person was also injured, the MDA said, but did not specify how she was hurt.
In a statement, Israel Police said three gunmen opened fire near the A-Zaim checkpoint after they arrived in vehicles from the direction of the Ma’ale Adumim settlement toward Jerusalem.
They “began firing M-16 automatic weapons at civilians in vehicles” that were waiting in traffic, the statement said.
Police referred to the gunmen as terrorists and residents of the Bethlehem area, but no further information was given as to who the shooters were.
Security forces “neutralized” two of the shooters at the scene and another “who tried to escape,” it added.
There has been a spate of terror attacks against Israelis in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks. At least seven were killed in a shooting near a synagogue in Jerusalem in late January 2023, which police chief Yaakov Shabtai described as “one of the worst terror attacks in the past few years.”
Correction: This story has been updated to clarify the shooting near a synagogue in Jerusalem took place in January 2023.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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