Two Israelis, one Palestinian shot dead in ongoing violence

JERUSALEM and HEBRON: A Palestinian gunman killed two Israelis in the southern West Bank yesterday, the military said, while in the nearby city of Hebron Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian involved in stonethrowing clashes, medics said.

The gunman opened fire on a family travelling near the Jewish settlement of Otneil, which is close to Hebron.

Israel’s Channel 2 said a Palestinian vehicle overtook two Israeli cars on a main road and fired at the first, in which a man in his forties and an 18-year-old youth, thought to be his son, were killed. One of three other passengers in the vehicle was lightly hurt.

The army said the gunman had escaped and that a search was under way.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent condolences and said: “We will reach the despicable murderers and we will bring them to justice, as we have in the past.”

But Islamist militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad praised the attack as a “natural response to crimes conducted by the Israeli occupation”.

There has been a wave of attacks by Palestinians since October 1, with at least 14 Israelis killed in stabbings, shootings and other attacks. At least 75 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli forces, including 45 people who were carrying out or about to carry out attacks.

In Hebron, Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian during stone- throwing that erupted during a funeral for another Palestinian who had died of wounds overnight following clashes at a funeral on Thursday, Palestinian medics said. – Reuters