Ramallah closed off after killing

Israel on Monday blocked entry for non-residents to the West Bank city of Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority is based, after a shooting attack the previous day that wounded three soldiers, the Army said.

“In accordance with situation assessments following yesterday’s (Saturday) shooting attack in Beit El, security measures have been taken in the area and only residents of Ramallah are allowed to enter the city,” a military spokeswoman said.

The measure applied to foreigners as well, she said. The spokeswoman said a decision on when to lift the measure would depend on security assessments. A Palestinian who had worked as a guard for the attorney general’s office in Ramallah opened fire at a checkpoint outside the city on Sunday, wounding three Israeli soldiers before being shot dead.

The same checkpoint, regularly used by diplomats, journalists and humanitarian workers, was closed on Monday morning, as were other entrances in the area.

Vehicles were being allowed to enter through at least one road after being searched, with a long line of cars waiting to pass through.

A large number of Palestinians, aid workers and diplomats commute to Ramallah for work on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza that his country will retaliate with “greater force” than deployed in the 2014 Gaza war if cross-border tunnels are used to attack Israel.

“We are operating systematically and calmly against all threats, including those from Hamas, both with defensive and offensive means, and of course in the event we are attacked by tunnels in Gaza we will operate with great force against Hamas,” he said.