A Palestinian terrorist on Monday shot and killed a motorist near the Dead Sea the latest bloodshed in a fresh wave of fighting that showed no signs of slowing.
The killing occurred a day after two Israelis were killed by a Palestinian terrorist near Nablus, triggering a rampage in which Israeli settlers torched dozens of cars and homes in a Palestinian town. It was the worst such violence in decades.
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The Israeli army said Monday's attackers opened fire at an Israeli car near the Palestinian city of Jericho. They continued driving and fired at a second car, hitting the motorist. The 27-year-old man was transferred from the scene to Hadassah Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries, according to a statement by hospital spokeswoman Hadar Elboim. The man was not immediately identified. US Ambassador Tom Nides tweeted that the victim was a US national. "I pray for his family," Nides wrote. The man was later identified as Elan Ganeles, who arrived in Israel from Connecticut, having chosen to volunteer in the IDF.
Video: Yoni Rykner/ Israeli forces launch manhunt after shooting attack near Jericho
The army said it set up roadblocks and was searching for the assailants, who escaped in a car, before ditching it and setting it ablaze. Earlier, Israel sent hundreds more troops to the northern West Bank to restore calm after Sunday's violence. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government came under criticism for its failure to halt a surge in violence and for sending what some saw as mixed messages. As Netanyahu appealed for calm, a member of his ruling coalition praised the rampage as deterrence against Palestinian attacks.
The events also underscored the limitations of the traditional US approach to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Washington has been trying to prevent escalation while staying away from the politically costly task of pushing for a resolution of the core disputes. As the violence raged in the West Bank, such an attempt at conflict management was taking place Sunday in Jordan, with the US bringing together Israeli and Palestinian officials to work out a plan for de-escalation.
Sunday's events kicked off when a Palestinian gunman shot and killed brothers Hillel and Yagel Yaniv, ages 21 and 19, from the Jewish settlement of Har Bracha, in a shooting ambush in the Palestinian town of Hawara in the northern West Bank. The gunman fled and remained on the loose late Monday. The brothers were buried in Jerusalem.
Following the shooting, groups of settlers rampaged along the main thoroughfare in Hawara, which is used by both Palestinians and Israeli settlers. In one video, a crowd of settlers stood in prayer as they stared at a building in flames.
Sadly, I can confirm that a U.S. citizen was killed in one of the terror attacks in the West Bank tonight. I pray for his family.
— Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) February 27, 2023
Late Sunday, a 37-year-old Palestinian was shot and killed by Israeli fire, two Palestinians were shot and wounded and another was beaten with an iron bar, Palestinian health officials said. Some 95 Palestinians were being treated for tear gas inhalation, according to medics.
On Monday morning, the Hawara thoroughfare was lined with rows of burned-out cars and smoke-blackened buildings. Normally bustling shops remained shuttered. Palestinian media said some 30 homes and cars were torched.
At the scene of the shooting, Defense Minister Yoav Galant told reporters that Israel "cannot allow a situation in which citizens take the law into their hands," but stopped short of outright condemning the violence.
"I ask everyone to heed the law and especially to trust in the army and security forces," he said. The army, however, faced tough questions Monday over its handling of the rampage.
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