Israeli Government’s Tough Line on Palestinians Leads to Fatal Shooting of Woman at West Bank Settlement Entrance

Early Thursday morning, a woman was fatally shot by security guards at the entrance to a West Bank settlement. According to police, the woman had approached the guards with a knife in an attempted stabbing attack. In response to the rocket attack from Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched airstrikes targeting alleged weapons manufacturing and storage sites in Gaza. The IDF said in a statement that fighter jets struck a weapons manufacturing site in central Gaza owned by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs Gaza, and a military compound belonging to Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip. The statement also said that the IDF and other agencies “neutralized” three wanted suspects who were involved in carrying out shooting attacks, and who were planning future attacks.

The violence comes in the first weeks of Benjamin Netanyahu’s new far-right government, which has promised to take a tough line against the Palestinians and pledged to ramp up settlement construction on lands Palestinians seek for their future state. The rocket attack from Gaza was intercepted by the IDF, with five rockets being intercepted and another rocket falling in an open area.

The incident has caused tension between Israel and the Palestinians, with the Palestinians accusing Israel of using excessive force and violating international law. The Israeli government has defended its actions, saying it is necessary to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks.

The situation in the region remains tense, and it is unclear what the future holds for the region. The international community is watching the situation closely and is urging both sides to de-escalate the situation and find a peaceful resolution.