Israel seals off residence of Palestinian synagogue shooter By Reuters

By Maayan Lubell

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli officers on Sunday sealed off the Jerusalem household residence of a Palestinian gunman who killed seven individuals outdoors a synagogue on the outskirts of the town, police mentioned, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised “a swift response”.

Seven individuals together with a 14-year-old have been shot lifeless on Friday within the assault on Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Day, which drew large worldwide condemnation and heightened fears of already spiralling violence escalating additional.

It was the worst such Palestinian assault on Israelis within the Jerusalem space since 2008 and adopted a deadly Israeli raid within the occupied West Financial institution metropolis Jenin on Thursday, the deadliest there in years.

The taking pictures presents a problem to Netanyahu, who returned to energy in December on the head of a hard-right nationalist authorities, promising to enhance private security for Israelis after a spate of deadly Palestinian avenue assaults final yr.

The Israeli navy mentioned on Saturday it was sending extra troops into the West Financial institution, which has seen months of worsening clashes that culminated in 2022 with the best loss of life toll, together with militants and civilians, in additional than a decade.

Nonetheless, there was no signal Israel was getting ready for a large-scale navy response to the taking pictures. With U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visiting this week, Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been anticipated to attempt to include violence.

After convening his safety cupboard for a late night time assembly on Saturday, Netanyahu mentioned the federal government would pursue sanctions towards households of assailants and that he would current steps this week to “strengthen settlements”.

Sworn in a month in the past, Netanyahu’s authorities – probably the most right-wing in Israel’s historical past – has prioritised settlement constructing on lands the Palestinians search for a state, although it has not but taken main steps on the bottom in that course.

Most world powers contemplate as unlawful Israel’s settlements within the West Financial institution and East Jerusalem, land it captured within the 1967 warfare.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has not remarked on Friday’s assault and on Saturday blamed Israel for the spiralling violence. The gunman had apparently acted alone and was shot lifeless by officers as he tried to flee the scene, police mentioned.