Palestinian gunmen kill person on West Bank highway

Three Palestinians opened fire at motorists near an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank near Jerusalem on Thursday, killing one person and wounding five others, emergency services said.

Two women were seriously wounded, the head of Israel's ambulance service Eli Bean told public broadcaster Kan. Police said officers shot dead two gunmen and wounded a third. A spokesperson said the gunmen were Palestinian but gave no further details.

Tensions in the West Bank are already high due to Israel's war in Gaza.

On Friday, two people were killed by gunmen police suspect to be Palestinian at a bus stop in southern Israel.

The Israeli offensive against Hamas militants in Gaza has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities, laid much of the enclave to waste and displaced most of its 2.3 million population.

Israel says its goal is to dismantle Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, after it burst through the Gaza border on Oct. 7 killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostage.

Reuters