Vigil for British mother injured and daughters killed in West Bank shooting as violence mounts

A vigil was held this evening in the Israeli settlement of Efrat for the victims of a shooting in the West Bank earlier today.

Two British-Israeli nationals were shot dead and their mother rushed into hospital with critical injuries after an attack in Hamra, in the Jordan Valley.

The mother, 48, was rushed into hospital by helicopter after unknown attackers opened fire with a Kalashnikov-style weapon. Her daughters, one reportedly aged 15 and the other in her 20s, were pronounced dead earlier today.

Israel said that its forces were blocking roads in the area and ‘had started a pursuit of the terrorists’ responsible for the attack. The IDF also called up an unspecified number of air force reservists including fighter pilots and drone operators as tensions rise.

It comes as violence escalates between Palestinians and Israeli forces over clashes at the Al-Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem earlier this week.

After Israeli police stormed the holy site with tear gas and stun grenades on Wednesday morning, northern Israel was hit with a barrage of rockets yesterday. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but an IDF spokesperson blamed the Palestinian group Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised an ‘aggressive response’ and gave the order for warplanes to bomb Gaza overnight, reportedly damaging a children’s hospital and fomenting tensions in the region.

British tourists were also reportedly among the victims of a harrowing attack in Tel Aviv as a car mounted the pavement near a popular park, killing one and injuring at least seven.

The Israeli military reported earlier that the incident in the Jordan Valley was caused by a collision between Israeli and Palestinian drivers.

Troops then reported that they had found bullet holes in the Israeli vehicle and deemed it a deliberate attack.

Kan, an Israeli public broadcaster, said that 22 bullet casings were found.

Medics found the three victims in critical condition and were unsuccessful in saving the lives of the two younger daughters.

A third victim was rushed to hospital by helicopter. 

Sky cited local media, claiming the two women who died were sisters, one aged 15 and the other in her 20s.

The BBC has reported that the sisters were in their 20s. 

The sisters’ father had reportedly been driving ahead in a separate car when the women were attacked.

He turned the car around to find paramedics treating his wife and daughters.

The family were from London and had emigrated to Efrat, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

The settlement is considered illegal under international law, a source of conflict for Palestinian and Israeli factions. Israel disputes the status. 

In response to the shooting, Israel Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai called on all Israelis with firearms licences to start carrying their weapons.

Israeli Major General Yehuda Fuchs said they were reinforcing in all sectors and would find those responsible.

Al-Araby al-Jadeed reported earlier today that in response to the attacks Israeli forces had ‘closed all entrances to Jericho with military checkpoints, and are searching all vehicles’ to find those responsible for the attack.

The outlet, founded by a former Israeli MP, cited local sources claiming that settlers under protection of the Israeli army were pursuing revenge attacks, ‘burning houses and farm machinery’ in Faroush and ‘beginning to mount further attacks on local residents’.

Hamas did not claim responsibility for the attack but said it was a ‘natural response to [Israel’s] ongoing crimes against the al-Aqsa mosque and its barbaric aggression against Lebanon and the steadfast Gaza.’

In London, the Foreign Office confirmed the deaths of the two sisters and appealed for all sides in the Israel-Palestine dispute to de-escalate a situation which has seen violence flare up in recent days.

The family were residents of the Efrat settlement, near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, according to Oded Revivi, the settlement’s mayor.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: ‘We are saddened to hear about the deaths of two British-Israeli citizens and the serious injuries sustained by a third individual.

‘The UK calls for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions.’

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said: ‘I am shocked by reports of the killing of two British sisters in an appalling and cowardly attack in the West Bank.

‘My thoughts are with their family and loved ones. More civilian victims of this cycle of violence show the urgent need for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate.’

The shooting reflects a sudden intensification of violence between opposing regional factions. 

It comes only hours after Israeli warplanes bombed Gaza as the city slept overnight.

The IDF stressed it had targeted infrastructure belonging to Palestinian armed groups.

Hamas targets in the city of Tyre in the south of Lebanon were also hit in the assault.

There were no reports of serious casualties, but residents in Qalili, Lebanon, were injured in the bombardment.

Earlier today, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Kensington, London, where the Israeli embassy is located, to protest perceived Israeli aggression.

Violence has spiralled since Israeli police stormed the Al Aqsa mosque in East Jerusalem with tear gas and stun grenades to confront Palestinians barricaded inside.

Muslim worshippers have been demanding the right to pray overnight inside the mosque, which authorities typically only permit during the last 10 days of the month-long Ramadan holiday.

They also stayed in the mosque in protest threats by religious Jews to carry out a ritual animal slaughter at the sacred site for Passover.

At least 14 Palestinians were injured and hundreds arrested on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning as Israeli police raided the mosque, sparking global condemnation.

Video footage dated 5 April showed police beating protestors with rifles. Other footage showed Palestinians inside the mosque shooting fireworks at the security forces.

Palestinian groups in Gaza fired rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday and Thursday in response to the clashes. Israeli planes attacked multiple sites in Gaza after four missiles reached Israel.

The mosque was again stormed by Israeli forces on Thursday.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called for calm after Israel launched strikes in southern Lebanon and bombed targets in the Gaza Strip in retaliation over the rocket attacks. 

Mr Cleverly said both sides in the Israel-Palestine dispute should ‘recommit themselves to a negotiated settlement’.

He said: ‘The UK condemns the indiscriminate rocket attacks from southern Lebanon and Gaza and recognises Israel’s right to self-defence.

‘Now is the time for all parties across the region to de-escalate tensions.

‘At the convergence of Passover, Ramadan and Easter, the UK calls for all parties to respect the historic status quo arrangements at Jerusalem’s holy sites and cease all provocative action.

‘The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of religion or belief and calls for places of worship to be respected.

‘We value Jordan’s important role as custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem and condemns the Israeli police violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

‘When Israeli security forces conduct operations, they must ensure they are proportionate and in accordance with international law.’

Human rights campaign group Amnesty International UK criticised Mr Cleverly’s response. 

The charity’s Kristyan Benedict said: ‘James Cleverly’s belated response to shocking Israeli violence against Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque isn’t just weak and tokenistic – it’s also dangerously misguided because it effectively isolates individual incidents of violence from the overall context, which is decades of apartheid, occupation and systematic injustice against the Palestinian people.

‘Despite the Foreign Secretary’s usual platitudes about ‘peace’ and ‘de-escalation’, the UK continues to oppose vital international measures such as the ongoing ICC (International Criminal Court) investigation, designed to bring justice and accountability for Israeli and Palestinian civilians.’ 

Late yesterday, the IDF said it had shot down 25 of an unusually large barrage of 34 rockets fired from southern Lebanon. 

Civilians were injured in the attack. 

The IDF initially said it would investigate possible Iranian involvement amid fears the missiles may have come from Iranian proxy Hezbollah, sympathetic to the Palestinian cause.

Hezbollah had condemned the assault on Al-Aqsa. The two powerful military factions have avoided any major conflicts since 2006.

But Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, later said it was ‘a Palestinian-oriented event’, adding that either the Hamas or Islamic Jihad militant groups, which are based in Gaza but also operate in Lebanon, could be involved.

He tied the attacks to the spate of violence at Al-Aqsa since Wednesday. 

Hecht added that the army believed Hezbollah and the Lebanese government were aware of what happened and also held responsibility.

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati condemned the firing of rockets from Lebanon. He added that Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers were investigating and trying to find the perpetrators. 

Netanyahu, currently in the midst of a domestic political crisis and losing popular support, firmly vowed to ‘strike our enemies’ who will ‘pay a price for every act of aggression’.

Warplanes flew over Gaza on Thursday night into Friday, bombing targets.

The Palestinian health ministry said ‘partial damage’ was done to the Al-Dorra children’s hospital in Gaza City during the strikes.

Hecht said the IDF was aware of the allegation and was looking into it as the local UN forces urged restraint.