An Israeli civilian was shot in his car on Tuesday by a suspected Palestinian gunman, Israeli military officials said on Tuesday. Hospital officials said he died of his wounds after being taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The Israeli man was a resident of Havat Gilad, an Israeli settlement near the Palestinian city of Nablus on the West Bank, according to public radio. Israel’s Channel 10 television station said the man sustained multiple shots to his upper body while he was driving in his car.
Israel’s military is now looking for the suspected shooter.
“Security forces will track down the suspect and bring him to justice,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said in a statement.
Tensions in the West Bank
Fourteen Palestinians have been killed as the long-running conflict in the West Bank escalated after Donald Trump, the president of the United States, announced that he recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. This reversal in foreign policy angered Palestinians, who seek to create an independent state including East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. It annexed East Jerusalem, saying the entire city is its indivisible capital, in a move that was not internationally recognized.
Israel also established settlements in the West Bank that are deemed illegal under international law. Some 400,000 Israelis live in settlements in the West Bank, which is home to 2.2 million Palestinians.
