Two Israelis were moderately injured early Tuesday morning when Palestinian gunmen opened fire on the car they were traveling in near the entrance to Joseph’s Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the Israeli civilians — Jewish worshippers — had failed to coordinate their pilgrimage to the site with the military and were shot at while driving in the city, after which they had to be extricated by Israeli soldiers.
The civilians were transported to hospital for treatment, the military said in a statement early Tuesday morning.
Joseph’s Tomb is located inside Area A of the West Bank, which is officially under complete Palestinian Authority control, though the Israeli military conducts activities there.
The IDF bars Israeli citizens from entering Area A without prior authorization.
According to reports in the Hebrew-language media, five Israelis were in the car when Palestinian gunmen opened fire at them in the city. The car was set on fire following the military extraction of the Israeli civilians, Ynet reported.
A video of what appears to be the car ablaze was shared on social media though it could not immediately be verified.
Palestinians opened gunfire toward an Israeli settlers vehicle mistakenly entered eastern Nablus City. The vehicle was set on fire.
No injuries reported among Israeli settlers. ISF are currently at scene pic.twitter.com/iXK3uUrr5Q
— Local Focus – Security Alerts (@LocalFocus1) August 30, 2022
Joseph’s Tomb is revered by some as the final resting place of the biblical Joseph, and clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinians are commonplace during visits and pilgrimages. Palestinians routinely throw rocks at the troops, and frequently attack them with Molotov cocktails and gunfire.
A number of violent incidents took place this month in Nablus, following a rare daytime Israeli raid on August 9 that sparked a number of gunbattles. Israeli forces killed wanted terror chief Ibrahim Nabulsi during an exchange of fire outside his home in Nablus. Two others were killed and forty more were injured in the clashes.
Nabulsi was part of an Islamic Jihad squad that had committed several shooting attacks against soldiers and civilians in the West Bank earlier this year, according to the Shin Bet. The IDF said that included a shooting at the Joseph’s Tomb complex, where there have been several attacks recently.
Israeli soldiers near the Joseph’s Tomb, in the West Bank city of Nablus, April 13, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
Two weeks ago, a Palestinian teenager was killed during heavy clashes that broke near Joseph’s Tomb when Jewish worshippers held a monthly pilgrimage to the site.
Tensions have been high since April, when some 100 Palestinian rioters broke into the shrine and vandalized it.
Illustrative: Palestinians burn tires as they block the streets leading to Joseph’s Tomb, near Balata refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Nablus, April 11, 2022. (Nasser Ishtayeh/Flash90)
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.
