Israel said at least two Palestinians were killed Friday evening in a car blast near Mei Ami settlement in Wadi Ara, next to the city of Hadera and close to the 1967 Green Line border with the West Bank. No other people were injured in the blast.
The Palestinians were travelling in the vehicle when they were killed in the explosion, Israeli police said.
The police believe that the Palestinians planned to commit suicide attacks in one of the nearby Israeli cities.
Jerusalem
A Palestinian boy died and another was shot and wounded by Israeli police in a chase in Arab east Jerusalem after an Israeli woman was stabbed, a police source said. The 25-year-old woman died later from her wounds.
The Palestinian collapsed as he was being arrested and efforts to revive him failed, the source said. The Israeli woman was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, but died later.
The incident started when an Israeli couple was attacked by a group of four or five Palestinians Friday afternoon while they were walking in the valley between Jerusalem’s Sherover Promenade and Abu Tor, Israel Radio reported.
A woman passerby witnessed the assault and called Israeli police, who quickly arrived on the scene and opened fire on the attackers.
Nablus
Elsewhere, Israeli troops and tanks imposed a blockade Friday on the West Bank city of Nablus and on the village of Tamoun, some five kilometers from Hamra, the Jewish settlement attacked on Wednesday night.
Infantry, engineering and armored forces began operating on the outskirts of Nablus overnight, and occupied strategic positions in the area.
Israel said soldiers seized positions and tightened their siege because Nablus "has become a focus of terrorism," and the Palestinian who attacked Hamra came from Nablus.
Additionally, occupation troops began operating overnight in Tamoun, which is under full Palestinian control. The blockade, it appears, is the first step in an Israeli operation aimed at occupying the village.
Palestinian sources said that six people had been injured in Tamroun.
Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat condemned the Israeli operations. "I see it as a part of the continuing Israeli aggression to destroy the peace process and to destroy the Palestinian Authority," he said.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested three Palestinians late Thursday night suspected of being involved in attacks against Israeli targets. A commando unit arrested prominent Islamic Jihad activist Jamal Shehadeh in the West Bank city of Hebron. Two Hamas activists were arrested in the town of Bir Zeit. (Albawaba.com)
