Israeli-American killed in West Bank as unrest intensifies
An Israeli American has been shot and killed in the occupied West Bank as retaliatory unrest intensifies.
Elan Ganeles, 26, was killed in an attack on vehicles on a highway near the city of Jericho.
The shooting happened after Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the West Bank on Sunday night, with dozens of cars and houses burned.
That attack came after two settlers, from a nearby village, were shot dead by a Palestinian on Sunday.
Ganeles was taken by paramedics to a hospital in Jerusalem, but was later pronounced dead.
US Ambassador Tom Nides tweeted: "Sadly, I can confirm that a US citizen was killed in one of the terror attacks in the West Bank tonight. I pray for his family."
The Israel Defense Forces said attackers opened fire on Israeli vehicles on three occasions, and later set their own vehicles on fire.
There was an exchange of fire with police before the attackers fled, the IDF tweeted.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any Palestinian groups.
Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip but is less prominent in the West Bank, said the attack was a natural response to Israeli attacks.
"The crimes conducted by the occupation and the herds of settlers will not be met but with stabbing, shooting and car ramming," a spokesman said in a statement.
The violence came after Israeli and Palestinian officials had pledged to de-escalate tensions at a summit in Jordan.
Videos posted hours after the summit ended on Sunday showed a large crowd of Israeli settlers entering the village of Hawara, about 4 miles (6km) south of Nablus, lighting fires and throwing stones.
The Palestinian health ministry said 37-year-old Sameh Aqtash died after being shot in the stomach during an attack by settlers in Zaatara on Sunday night.
FULL ARTICLE AT: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-64793715
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