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Soldier lightly injured by gunfire during operation in West Bank village
Serviceman taken to hospital as army searches for gunmen; incident comes as tensions flare on Passover Eve, with clashes at Temple Mount, rocket fire from Gaza
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was lightly wounded by gunfire during an operation near the West Bank city of Hebron early Wednesday morning, as Israeli-Palestinian tensions spiked during Ramadan and ahead of the start of Passover.
Troops returned fire, and the soldier was treated for his wounds at th scene in the village of Beit Ummar, the military said. He was then taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
The military said it was searching for the assailants.
Rioting subsequently broke out in the village, with several Palestinians lighting tires and throwing rocks and explosives at troops.
Also overnight, clashes erupted between the Israel Police and Palestinians inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Police said they had entered to dislodge “agitators” who had barricaded themselves inside with fireworks, clubs, and stones. On Wednesday morning, authorities said 350 people had been detained in the unrest.
Amid the clashes, Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a barrage of 16 rockets in the early hours of the day. The Israeli Air Force struck Hamas targets in Gaza in response, targeting a weapons factory and a weapons storage facility belonging to the terror group, the IDF said.
Media reports indicated that the rockets were fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, but the Israeli military holds Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from the territory it rules.
תיעוד מרגעי פיגוע הירי הלילה לעבר כוחותינו ב-בית אומר pic.twitter.com/UEBq4Dg0C9
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The Magen David Adom ambulance service said a 30-year-old man was lightly injured after he fell while running to a bomb shelter. The Sderot Municipality said one of the rockets struck a factory in the industrial area, causing damage.
Wednesday morning’s incidents came a day after two soldiers were injured, one seriously, in a suspected terror stabbing near the Tzrifin military base in central Israel.
The Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which this year once again coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover, is known to be a period of high tensions between Israeli forces and Palestinians. Tens of thousands of worshipers visit Al-Aqsa, Islam’s third holiest site, throughout the month, regularly leading to a spike in tensions with Israel and violence.
Last week, the IDF announced it would impose a closure on the West Bank, set to take effect at 5 p.m. Wednesday, with crossing points closed to Palestinians on the first and last days of the Passover holiday. Gaza border crossings will also close.
Such closures are standard practice during festivals and holidays. The military says they are a preventative measure against attacks in periods of increased tension.
The closure will last until Saturday, April 8. A second closure will begin on April 11 and last until April 12.
Ash Obel and Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
