Two British sisters are killed in West Bank shooting

Two British sisters – one aged 15 and another in her 20s – are killed and their mother, 48, is seriously wounded in West Bank shooting

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Two British women were today killed in a shooting in the West Bank.

The women were sisters, one reportedly aged 15 and the other in her 20s, the Israeli military said. Their mother, 48, was seriously injured in an attack on their car near Hamra, 30 miles north of Jerusalem.

The IDF said that its forces were blocking roads in the area and ‘had started a pursuit of the terrorists. The Israeli military chief also called up an unspecified number of air force reservists including fighter pilots and drone operators in response to the shooting.

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.

Israeli medics and police check a damaged car at the scene of a shooting, in the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 7, 2023

An Israeli policeman checks a damaged car at the scene of a shooting attack, in the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 7, 2023

Israeli forces gather near the Hamra junction in the northern part of the Jordan valley in the occupied West Bank following a shooting attack on April 7, 2023

Israeli soldiers are seen near the scene where a shooting attack occurred in the Jordan Valley, on April 7, 2023

Israeli medics and policemen check a damaged car at the scene of a shooting attack, in the Jordan Valley in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 7, 2023

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

READ MORE: ‘We will strike our enemies and they will pay’: Israel pounds Gaza and Lebanon after Netanyahu vowed ‘aggressive response’ to rocket attacks by Palestinian militants – as fresh violence breaks out at Islam holy site

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 attack 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.

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