The Israeli security cabinet was to meet Wednesday morning to discuss Israel's response to Tuesday night’s killings of three teens in the Nablus-area settlement of Itamar, and a fourth Israeli near the settlement of Ofra outside of Ramallah.
The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Following these attacks, Israeli troops moved into the West Bank city of Ramallah and conducted house-to-house searches as they hunted for a local Hamas leader, a Palestinian security official said.
Troops surrounded the house of Hassan Yousef, a top leader of Hamas in the city, but he was not at home, witnesses said.
Attacks
Late Tuesday, a Palestinian infiltrated the West Bank settlement of Itamar, near Nablus and killed three Israelis. Another two settlers sustained light wounds, according to Army Radio. The settlement's security officer killed the Palestinian attacker.
Israeli Army sources said the Palestinian may have come from the nearby village of Beit Furik, according to media reports.
Earlier, a 50-year-old Israeli was killed Tuesday evening when shots were fired on the car in which he was traveling, south of the West Bank settlement of Ofra, near Ramallah. According to Israeli sources, the man was critically wounded and died of his wounds shortly after being shot.
The man’s 40-year-old brother, who was also in the car at the time of the attack, suffered from shock after the shooting, and was taken to hospital in Jerusalem.
The two were on their way from Ofra to Jerusalem. They were driving in a private vehicle, and prior to reaching the Burka junction, they were shot at. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
