Troops fire at 'masked suspects' in West Bank, Israeli civilian injured, according to the army

According to the army, an Israeli civilian was hurt in the occupied West Bank on Sunday when forces opened fire on a group of “masked suspects” who turned out to be Israeli civilians.

The incident occurred in the Israeli town of Maale Levona, not far from the Palestinian city of Nablus, where forces are looking for the suspect in the shooting deaths of two Israelis close on Saturday.

The army stated a group of “masked suspects” were sighted in the Maale Levona region at about 3 a.m. on Sunday.

“The soldiers opened fire according to standard operating procedures, during which one of the suspects was injured,” the army said.

“It was later revealed that the suspects are Israeli citizens who were masked.”

The army did not disclose any other information and stated that the event was being investigated.

The attack happened a day after two Israelis, a father and son, were killed at a car wash in Huwara, a village immediately south of Nablus.

Israeli forces have begun a manhunt to find the killer and were still searching in the region on Sunday.

According to witnesses, troops have been scouring numerous communities surrounding Nablus, including Aqraba and Beita.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967.

With the exception of annexed east Jerusalem, the land is home to almost three million Palestinians and around 490,000 Israelis who reside in illegal settlements under international law.

Huwara, a Palestinian town, has seen a number of attacks on Jewish settlers or the Israeli military since early last year.

Settlers have also responded with revenge attacks on the town and surrounding villages.

It comes amid a surge in violence in the West Bank, which has seen a string of attacks by Palestinians on Israeli targets, as well as repeated Israeli army raids and violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinian communities.

At least 218 Palestinians have already been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this year.

Some 30 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have also been killed, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources on both sides.

They include, on the Palestinian side, combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.