Palestinian gunmen fire at northern West Bank settlement, hitting two homes
Military launches manhunt for suspects in latest attack, hours after targeting of Border Police post along security barrier
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Palestinian gunmen fired a hail of bullets Tuesday morning at a settlement in the northern West Bank, the military said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, slight damage was caused to two homes in the settlement of Shaked, which is located close to the security barrier, about 10 kilometers west of the Palestinian city of Jenin.
There were no reports of injuries in the attack, which came hours after a nearby military post was targeted.
The IDF said troops launched a manhunt for the suspects who fled the scene. The bullets were fired from outside the settlement.
On Monday night, Palestinian gunmen fired at a military post in the Salem base, adjacent to the security barrier and close to the Arab Israeli town of the same name.
Border Police officers fired back at those gunmen, who fled toward the Jenin area.
פיגוע ירי ללא נפגעים לעבר היישוב שקד בצפון השומרון: מחבלים ירו מחוץ ליישוב, פגעו בשני בתים, ונמלטו pic.twitter.com/JwNr75Zpkt
— Carmel Dangor כרמל דנגור (@carmeldangor) October 18, 2022
The shootings came at a time of rising violence in the West Bank, particularly in the northern area, as Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.
Some of the attacks have been deadly. An Israeli soldier was killed in a shooting near Nablus last Tuesday, and another soldier was killed in a separate attack near Jerusalem several days before that.
Israeli forces have ratcheted up arrest raids and counterterror efforts in the West Bank since a spate of terror attacks against Israelis in the spring killed 19 people.
More than 100 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli operations this year, many of them while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces.
In arrest raids in the West Bank early Monday, troops detained five wanted Palestinians, the IDF said.