At least six people were taken to hospital for medical treatment, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. |
The Israeli army said it carried out an operation to demolish the home of an attacker in Ramallah early Thursday morning.
A Reuters eyewitness said the military convoy had arrived in Ramallah, the political center of the Palestinian Authority, and hundreds of Palestinians had also gathered there.
According to eyewitnesses, some Palestinian youths threw stones at Israeli soldiers, who returned fire and also used stun grenades and tear gas.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least six people were taken to hospital for medical treatment, three of them with gunshot wounds.
The Israeli army said its troops were carrying out operations in Ramallah to "destroy the residence of the terrorist who bombed Jerusalem last November".
The two explosions killed two people and injured 14, including a young Israeli-Canadian citizen. Police said they were improvised explosive devices planted at a bus stop outside the city.
Israel has stated that the policy of demolishing criminals' homes is to punish and deter potential attackers. The US special envoy to the Palestinians, Hadi Amr, met with senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh a few hours ago.
It should be noted that there has been an increase in violence in the West Bank since Prime Minister Netanyahu's government in Israel last year. In response to Palestinian attacks on its cities, Israel increased its military attacks.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health says at least 158 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since January.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, 20 Israelis and two foreigners were killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period.