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Otniel Attack: Gunman Opens Fire on Family Driving in West Bank

The incident comes just one day after a Palestinian teen stabbed a young Israeli-American to death in her bed.
Image: Israeli security forces gather at the scene
Israeli security forces gather at the scene following the shooting near Hebron on Friday.MUSSA ISSA QAWASMA / Reuters

A manhunt was underway Friday for a gunman who opened fire on an Israeli family driving in the West Bank.

Israel's military said a "terrorist" was behind the incident near Otniel, south of Hebron.

It said one passenger was killed and three others were injured in the attack, which caused the car to crash.

The Magen David Odom Ambulance service said it was evacuating the injured — a 40-year-old woman, a 14-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl — to the hospital. The initial paramedic report saying a baby was among the injured turned out to be wrong.

The woman was in serious condition while the boy was in "moderate" condition, Magen David Odom added.

Security forces were searching the area for the gunman, the military added.

Since last September, 34 Israelis and two American tourists have been killed by Palestinians in a wave of attacks. Some 200 Palestinians have been killed during that time, according to an AP tally, most of whom Israel has said were assailants. Others died in clashes and protests.

Image: An overturned vehicle at the scene where a gunman opened fire on an Israeli family
An overturned vehicle at the scene of the shooting on Friday.Israel Defense Forces / Via Twitter

While the attacks were at one point a daily occurrence, they had slowed in recent months. However, a deadly gun attack earlier this month in a Tel Aviv shopping mall ratcheted up fears and put Israel on edge.

Friday's fatal shooting incident comes just one day after a Palestinian teen stabbed a young Israeli-American to death in her bed in the West Bank in what the U.S. decried as an "unconscionable" act of terrorism.

That was followed by a stabbing attack in Netanya that injured two Israelis and saw the attacker shot dead.

And early Friday morning, Israeli officials said a Palestinian woman was shot dead after she attempted to stab a policeman at the Cave of Patriarchs shrine in Hebron.