WEST BANK: Israeli settlers rampaged through Palestinian towns in the West Bank on Wednesday, kill-ing at least one person and torching buildings and cars in retaliation for the alleged killing by Hamas of four Israelis near a settlement the day before, officials said.
In Turmus Ayya, a prosperous town near Ramallah, footage showed cars ablaze with thick clouds of black smoke swirling above and people carrying an injured person to an ambulance.
“They tried to enter the courtyard, they set the cars on fire, they started shooting towards the house using live bullets and stones and they broke the balconies,” said Noman Shalab, a resident of Turmus Ayya.
The Israeli military said troops had entered Turmus Ayya to put out fires and prevent clashes and it said the Israeli civilians had left the town. “We will not accept any provocations to the police or the security forces in these places or anywhere else,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. One Palestinian was shot dead during the attack while at least one other was critically injured, Palestin-ian health officials said.
The latest round of violence underlined the volatility of the Israeli-occupied territory, where for over a year the military has been conducting regular sweeps leading to repeated clashes with Palestinian freedom fighters. –Agencies
