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Four injured in morning attacks in West Bank

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Four soldiers were lightly wounded this morning in a double attack at a junction near Kiryat Arba, next to Hebron in the West Bank.

In the first incident at around 7am, a car rammed into a hitchhiking spot at the Elias Junction and shots were also fired, injuring a soldier. Troops returned fire and killed the attackers, who were found in possession of firearms. As medics arrived on the scene to treat the wounded, another Palestinian vehicle drove intentionally at bystanders, injuring two more soldiers. The driver was shot dead and found in possession of two knives.

The Hebron region has been a particular flashpoint in the wave of near-daily attacks which have killed at least 31 Israelis since the start of October.

Meanwhile, on Friday night, four rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel, eventually landing in open areas in the Shar Hanegev region without causing any injury or damage. However, IDF spokesman Peter Lerner described the rocket fire as an attempt to “threaten the security and safety of the people of southern Israel.” Although the ceasefire which ended Operation Protective Edge in summer 2014 has largely held firm, there has been periodic rocket fire from Gaza into Israel since then. In addition, Hamas has admitted to rebuilding the complex underground tunnel network, which was used to launch attacks on Israeli territory during the conflict.

Later on Friday night, Israel’s Air Force responded to the rocket fire, launching strikes on four Hamas sites, including a training camp near Beit Lahiya. According to Palestinian reports, a 10-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister were killed after their home, near the training camp, was struck.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet yesterday, “Our policy is clear concerning the Gaza Strip – Israel will not accept any rocket fired from Gaza into Israel.” He added, “Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, and it is Hamas’s obligation to prevent rockets from being fired.”