Four Israelis were killed and four others were wounded in a shooting attack today near the town of Eli in the Binyamin region of Samaria.
One seriously wounded victim was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva. Two others in moderate condition and one person lightly hurt were being treated on the scene before being taken to the hospital.
One Palestinian terrorist was “neutralized” in a firefight and security personnel were searching for two accomplices. The masked terrorists were armed with M16 assault rifles. They abandoned a vehicle (knives were found inside) but may have fled in a second one.
The attack took place at the entrance to a restaurant at a gas station on Route 60 located below the town, which is north of Ramallah and south of Nablus (Shechem).
Authorities instructed residents of Eli to remain in their homes until further notice.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will reportedly address the nation Tuesday night, and was set to hold an operational situation assessment at 6.p.m. together with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Ronen Bar and other officials.
Earlier, Gallant paid a hospital visit to IDF soldiers wounded in battle the previous day in Jenin, warning that “all options are on the table” to defeat Palestinian terrorism.
“I instructed the defense establishment to take proactive and offensive actions wherever there is a danger to the lives of our citizens and our forces,” said Gallant.
“We will act in any necessary way and reach anywhere in order to preserve our freedom of action. All options are on the table,” he said.
Israeli helicopter gunships struck targets in the Jenin area on Monday morning after a deadly gun battle erupted during an IDF counterterror raid in the city.
As Israeli forces withdrew from the city with two wanted suspects in custody, a roadside bomb detonated next to an armored vehicle, wounding eight soldiers.
The Israeli airstrike, the first in Judea and Samaria since the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, allowed the military to extricate the wounded.
There are increasing calls within the government to carry out a large-scale offensive in northern Samaria to root out Palestinian terrorist groups. JNS
Not surprising at all if the policy in Israel run by non-elected judges is to shoot at the ankles of terrorists after terrorists shoot.
Liar! ALL options are NOT on the table. wipe out the village