Palestinian gunmen opened fire at the Jalamah checkpoint in the northern West Bank on Thursday, causing damage to a building but no injuries and prompting the Defense Ministry to close the crossing.
“The crossing has been closed and security forces are conducting scans in the area,” the ministry said. The Palestinian gunmen apparently fled the scene.
Jalamah crossing, near the Palestinian town of the same name, has been the target of numerous shooting attacks in recent months.
In September and last month, the crossing was also temporarily shuttered following separate attacks.
The checkpoint is predominantly used by Arab Israelis who travel to the Palestinian city of Jenin and the surrounding area for business or leisure, and by Palestinians who need to travel to Israel for work.
The closure is expected to take an economic toll on the Jenin area.
Earlier Thursday, Israeli troops arrested a suspected terror operative accused of involvement in the killing of a veteran police commando earlier this year in Jenin.
In recent months, Palestinian gunmen have repeatedly targeted military posts, troops operating along the West Bank security barrier, Israeli settlements and civilians on the roads.
The number of shootings has decreased in recent weeks, following major gains by the IDF against the Nablus-based Lion’s Den terror group, which had claimed responsibility for near-nightly shooting attacks.
Israeli security forces have stepped up their operations in the West Bank following a series of Palestinian attacks that killed 19 people in the spring of this year.
Since September, another three Israeli civilians have been killed in attacks.
Four soldiers have also been killed in the West Bank in attacks and during the arrest operations.
The military’s operation has made more than 2,000 arrests in near-nightly raids, and has left over 130 Palestinians dead, many of them — but not all — while carrying out attacks or during clashes with security forces.
