JERUSALEM, 4 Sep: The Israeli military said that Palestinian gunmen opened fire on a bus in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, wounding six soldiers, one of them seriously, and a civilian.
The Magen David Adom paramedic service said two people who suffered gunshot wounds were airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Haifa.
The Israeli military said it apprehended two Palestinians suspected of carrying out the midday attack on a main West Bank highway.
The suspects fled the scene in their vehicle, which burst into flames shortly after the shooting, security camera footage aired by Israeli media appeared to show. The men exited the burning vehicle and were subsequently apprehended. It was unclear what caused the vehicle to catch fire.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that Israeli security forces “laid their hands on the suspects in a speedy and professional operation.”
The attack took place on Route 90, the main north-south highway running through the West Bank’s Jordan Valley. The road is dotted with Israeli settlements and Palestinian villages and towns.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built dozens of settlements in the territory. Most of the international community considers the settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace with the Palestinians, who seek the territory as the heartland of a future state. AP