Hamas rejects Gaza plan; unrest roils West Bank

Militant group balks at disarming. Palestinian attack leaves an Israeli dead and three hurt.

- BY JULIA FRANKEL

Palestinian attackers stabbed an Israeli to death and wounded three more in the West Bank on Tuesday before being gunned down by troops in the latest violence to rock the occupied territory, the Israeli military said.

The attack follows a spate of settler violence against Palestinians across the West Bank. Officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have warned that such unrest could spill over and undermine the fragile truce in Gaza.

It came a day after the United Nations Security Council gave its backing to President Trump’s blueprint to secure and govern Gaza. The militant group Hamas rejected the plan as other countries signaled excitement and readiness to help implement it.

More violence

The Israeli military said the stabbing took place at the Gush Etzion junction south of Jerusalem, a site of many past attacks by Palestinian militants.

Israel’s emergency rescue services said a 71-year-old man died of stab wounds at the scene. Three other people were hospitalized, including a woman in serious condition and a teenager in moderate condition. The military said Israeli troops then opened fire, killing two Palestinian attackers. The Palestinian Health Ministry later identified them as two 18-year-olds from the Hebron area.

Yaron Rosenthal, head of the regional council in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, demanded that Israel respond to the attack and provide more support for the area's Israeli settlements.

“Terrorism is fueled by the hope of a state,” he said, connecting the violence to the Palestinian Authority and the reemerging push to advance efforts to secure Palestinian statehood.

Hamas did not claim responsibility for the attack, but in a statement called it “a normal response to the occupation’s attempts to liquidate the Palestinian cause,” vowing that Israeli aggression wouldn't go unchallenged.