Shooting attack leaves three Israelis and a Palestinian dead

A shooting attack on Tuesday outside the Israeli settlement of Har Hadar in the West Bank left an Israeli Border Police officer and two security guards dead. The Palestinian attacker was also shot dead at the scene.

The officer killed was identified as Solomon Gabariya, 20, and the two security guards were named as Youssef Ottman, 25, a resident of the village of Abu Ghosh, near Jerusalem, and Or Arish, 25, from Har Adar.

The attacker, Nimr Mahmoud Ahmed Jamal, 37, was from the village of Beit Surik, in the Jerusalem district of the West Bank. According to reports, he arrived with a group of Palestinian workers at the back entrance to the settlement and opened fire after security personnel asked him to stop, deeming him suspicious. A father of four, Jamal had a permit to work in the settlement.

Since October 2015, Palestinians have killed 48 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shooting and vehicular attacks. During the same period, Israeli forces have killed over 255 Palestinians over the same period, including attackers, alleged attackers and during demonstrations and clashes.

Following the attack, the army closed all entrances to the village of Beit Surik, only allowing residents to leave for humanitarian reasons. The nearby villages of Beddo, Qatanna, Beit Anan, Beit Iksa, Qabiba, Beit Ijza, Beit Duqqo and Kherab Lahm are also affected by the closures, according to official PA news agency Wafa. In total, 60,000 Palestinians have been unable to move in and out of these villages since yesterday.