Israel announces punitive measures against Palestinians after shooting attacks

Jerusalem, Jan 30 (SocialNews.XYZ) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced punitive measures against the Palestinians, including strengthening the West Bank settlements, in response to the two shooting attacks since Friday evening.

The measures were approved by the Prime Minister's security cabinet, composed of ultranationalist and pro-settler ministers, on Saturday evening, Xinhua news agency reported.

Netanyahu told the cabinet meeting on Sunday that the family residence of the gunman who carried out the shooting spree at Neve Yaakov, a settlement neighbourhood of Jerusalem, has been sealed.

The Israeli police said in a separate statement that the house, located in the At-Tor neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, is expected to be demolished in the next few days.

Plans to strengthen the Israeli settlements will be decided later this week, said Netanyahu, adding citizenship and residency of families of assailants may also be revoked.

The cabinet also discussed expanding firearm licensing to Israeli citizens, including thousands of paramedics and first responders.

On Friday evening, a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem shot dead seven Israelis and wounded three others. On Saturday morning, a 13-year-old Palestinian from the city shot at a group of Israelis, wounding two of them.

The attacks came in the wake of a deadly Israeli raid on Thursday in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, in which Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman.

The raid triggered rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, to which Israel responded with airstrikes at Hamas sites in the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Source: IANS