Description

Photo:
Scene of shooting attack near illegal Beit El settlement on Jan. 31, 2016 (Photo from social media)

Photo of Amjad Jaser Sukkar, a 34 year old father of four who was shot dead after shooting and injuring three Israeli soldiers (MaanImages)
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BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian was shot dead after shooting and injuring three Israeli soldiers at an Israeli military checkpoint around the illegal Israeli settlement of Beit El in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah, witnesses told Ma'an.

Witnesses said a Palestinian vehicle approached the Israeli checkpoint and stopped for inspection. When an Israeli soldier approached the driver's window, the driver opened fire, immediately shooting the soldier.

The driver then shot another two Israeli soldiers, one of which witnesses believed was hit in his flak jacket.

Israeli forces then opened fire, shooting the Palestinian driver dead.
Of the three injured, two are in severe condition, while one was mildly injured, a spokesperson with Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said.

The Palestinian driver was latter identified as Amjad Jaser Sukkari, 34, a Palestinian Authority staff sergeant from Nablus. Hours after the shooting, his body was returned to PA forces and is expected to be buried later that day.

Israeli forces set up checkpoints and inspected all Palestinian vehicles in the area after the attack, and later shut down most of Ramallah district’s roads.

A Ma’an reporter said the Beit El checkpoint was closed completely to traffic in both directions, as well as the main road between Ramallah City and the northern West Bank near the village of Ein Siniya. The Atara checkpoint north of Ramallah was closed to traffic in one direction.

Drivers were allowed to travel from northwest Ramallah district villages to Ramallah City, but were prohibited from leaving Ramallah to go back to their villages.

The main entrances of Silwad and Nabi Salih, two towns northeast of Ramallah known for their protests against the Israeli occupation, were also shut down.

Israeli forces also set up several military checkpoints along the main road south of Ramallah City, affecting the villages of Kafr Nimah and Ras Karkar.

The Palestinian Authority military liaison director in the Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate, Nadir Hijja, told Ma'an that people with IDs indicating they were from Ramallah would be allowed to enter the city, but not to leave it.

Conversely, Hijja said Palestinians from other areas would not be allowed to enter Ramallah, but could leave the city. He added that this policy was to be applied for an undetermined amount of time.
The Hamas movement issued a statement on Sunday evening hailing Sukkar's "heroic resistance operation."

“This attack showcases the rejection of security coordination with the occupation, even among members of the PA security forces,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri was quoted as saying.

On Sunday, a suspected Palestinian stabbed and lightly injured a 17-year-old Israeli near occupied East Jerusalem's Damascus gate. The attacker fled the scene, with Israeli forces detaining at least two Palestinian youth after the incident.

On Monday, a 16-year-old Palestinian turned himself into Israeli authorities in connection with the attack, Israeli media reported.
An Israeli police spokesperson could not be reached for comment.

Since a wave of unrest began in occupied East Jerusalem in October and spread across the West Bank and Israel, more than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, and over 20 Israelis have died in attacks, most of which were stabbings.
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by Jack Khoury, Gili Cohen and Ido Efrati for Haaretz

Palestinian assailant, who was killed at the scene, was a member of the Palestinian Authority's security services and the driver of the Ramallah district attorney general; IDF said to restrict entry of non-residents to Ramallah area.

Three Israeli soldiers were wounded in a shooting attack near Beit El in the West Bank on Sunday. One of the wounded is in serious condition, another is in moderate-serious condition and the third was lightly wounded. The assailant, identified as a Palestinian police officer and the driver of the Ramallah district attorney general, was shot and killed.

On Sunday evening, Palestinian officials reported that the Israeli army has restricted the entry of non-residents to the Ramallah area. 

From the investigation into the incident, it appears that a Palestinian car arrived at the DCO checkpoint near Ramallah. An armed Palestinian exited the car and opened fire. A soldier who arrived at the scene shot the assailant and killed him.

The assailant has been identified by Israeli security officials as Amjed Abu Amar, a 34-year-old resident of Jamma'in near Nablus. According to reports in Palestinian media, Abu Amar wrote on his personal Facebook page that "There is no right to life on this land. Sadly I don’t see anything worth living for, as long as the occupation oppresses our souls and kills our brothers and sisters."

News of the shooting was received at the Magen David Adom hotline in Jerusalem shortly after 11 A.M. Paramedics, aided by IDF medical crews, delivered preliminary aid to three soldiers, all from the Givati Brigade. One was seriously wounded from a gunshot to his upper body, and he was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem. The second casualty, 31, sustained moderate to serious wounds to his limbs, and the third casualty, 20, suffered light wounds after being shot in the hand. They were both taken to Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus in Jerusalem.

Sunday's attack was the second incident in the current wave of terror that involved a member of the Palestinian Authority's security services. Two months ago, a shooting attack was carried out at the Hizma checkpoint in the West Bank in which a 47-year-old man was seriously wounded and a 20-year-old Israeli soldier was lightly wounded. The Palestinian assailant, who was shot and killed at the scene, was Mazan Hasan Ariva, an intelligence officer in the Palestinian Authority.

On Saturday evening, a 17-year-old Israeli was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. On Sunday, police detained three minors they suspect carried out the attack.