Hamas issues statement on West Bank shooting operation
The Palestinian group Hamas has issued a statement praising a combined stabbing and shooting attack carried out Thursday near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, south of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.
Read more: Settler killed, four wounded; two Palestinians killed after alleged attack
The incident left one 'Israeli' settler dead, identified in Hebrew media as a security guard, and at least four others wounded. 'Israeli' forces shot and killed the two Palestinians accused of carrying out the attack, which reportedly targeted a commercial complex, including a Rami Levy supermarket.
In a press release, Hamas referred to the assailants as “heroic martyrs,” calling the attack a “legitimate response” to what it described as the occupation's ongoing crimes, including “massacres, assassinations, and daily aggression” against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The group linked Thursday’s operation in Hebron to a stabbing that occurred earlier the same day in the town of Rummanah, west of Jenin, framing both as part of a broader campaign of resistance.
Read more: Palestinian shot, run over by 'Israeli' forces after alleged stabbing near Jenin
Hamas called on Palestinians across the West Bank to escalate confrontations with the occupation and its settlers, urging “disruption of the security apparatus” and continued resistance “by all means until the liberation of our land.”
The Gush Etzion area has witnessed repeated confrontations in recent months amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza and intensifying violence in the West Bank. 'Israeli' authorities say they are still investigating whether additional suspects were involved in Thursday’s attack.
