Two Israelis were wounded on Thursday morning, one seriously, when they were stoned by Palestinians during a confrontation nearthe Rimonim Junction in the Binyamin region north of Jerusalem.
The two men were treated on the scene by Magen David Adom paramedics before being evacuated to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
One of the men was in serious condition with a head wound while the other was lightly injured, according to MDA.
By Thursday afternoon, the condition of one of the injured had worsened. Israel Hayom reported that the victim, who was sedated and on ventilation, was in a life-threatening condition.
The assailants fled to a nearby Palestinian village.
According to the Palestinians, a family from Deir Jarir, a village near Ramallah, had come to the area for the olive harvest and were attacked by armed Israeli civilians from the area, Ynet reported.
There have been multiple confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis in the region since the onset of the harvest season, according to the report.
Adding to the already high tensions in the area is the Israel-Hamas war, sparked by the Gaza-based terror group’s Oct. 7 assault on the western Negev.
During the harvest season, Palestinians are allowed to travel to groves across Judea and Samaria, some of which are in close proximity to Israeli towns. The Israelis living in these areas argue that allowing this practice to continue during wartime poses a security risk.
Ynet quoted a local official as saying that allowing the harvest to proceed during wartime is “simply not right.”
On Tuesday night, the Israeli military carried out a drone strike on terrorist gunmen in Jenin after its forces came under attack during a counterterror operation in the city, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
According to Palestinian sources, at least four terrorists were killed in the strike, including a member of Islamic Jihad.
Israeli forces also clashed with terrorist gunmen in nearby Wadi Bruqin during a counterterror operation there, according to the military. The IDF reported only that “hits were identified.”
Since Oct. 7, Israeli forces have arrested some 860 Palestinians across Judea and Samaria. According to the military, more than 500 of them are affiliated with Hamas.
