Palestinian Gunman Who Wounded 3 People Shot Dead by Israeli Military

Israeli security forces inspect the body of a Palestinian identified as Amjad Sukkari, inside a car, at the checkpoint between the city of Ramallah and Jewish settlement of Beit El in the West Bank, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Sukkari opened fire at a West Bank checkpoint and wounded three people, the Israeli military said. (Nasser Shiyoukhi/Associated Press)

Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian on Sunday after he opened fire at a West Bank checkpoint and wounded three people, the military said.

The attacker got out of his vehicle and opened fire near the Jewish settlement of Beit El. Medics said two of the wounded were in serious condition.

Palestinians identified the gunman as Amjad Sukkari, a 34-year-old policeman who worked as a bodyguard for the Palestinian attorney general.

Posts on his Facebook page from just hours before the attacks read “your mourning will be victorious,” ”there is nothing worth living on this earth as long as the occupation strangles our breaths” and “everyday someone dies, I may be the next.”

The attack is the latest in four months of near-daily Palestinian assaults on Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Palestinians have killed 26 people on the Israeli side and wounded dozens more since mid-September, mostly in stabbings. Israeli fire has killed 150 Palestinians during that time, with 105 identified by Israel as attackers. The rest died in clashes.

Israel says the bloodshed is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of incitement. Palestinians say it stems from despair over nearly 50 years of occupation.

SOURCE: AP