Israeli forces lead a massive manhunt on Friday in the occupied West Bank, the day after a Palestinian attack that killed an Israeli settler in the north of the Palestinian territory. Yehuda Dimentman succumbed to his injuries Thursday night after shots fired at the car he was in. The driver of the vehicle and another passenger were slightly injured. The Israeli army, which has occupied the West Bank since 1967, said it had deployed additional battalions and special forces to track down the attackers, whom it described as Palestinians. "
We arrested a number of suspects last night (...) and I think sooner or later we will find those responsible for the attack
Ran Kochav, a military spokesman, told Israeli radio 103FM, reporting a "
hunt
" involving "
physical, technological and intelligence
"
efforts
.
Read alsoA Palestinian killed by the Israeli army in the West Bank
The attack took place near Homesh, a wild colony in the northern West Bank where the victims were studying at a Talmudic school.
The attackers fired from the side of the road at their car.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday evening that security forces would find them "
very soon
".
"
We will make sure that justice is done
," he added.
For its part, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, hailed a "
heroic
" attack, speaking of a "
legitimate struggle until the occupier is expelled from all Palestinian lands and the settlers are ousted
”.
Illegal occupation
Yehuda Dimentman, who lived in the settlement of Shavei Shomron, is to be buried in Jerusalem on Friday.
Israeli colonization, illegal under international law, has continued under all Israeli governments since 1967. Wild settlements are settlements that have not received authorization from the Israeli government.
More than 470,000 people are settled in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, home to 2.8 million Palestinians.
Read also West Bank: Israel uses facial recognition to file Palestinians
Thursday night's attack follows several others in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, another Palestinian territory occupied by Israel.
Last week, a Palestinian teenager was arrested in East Jerusalem following an alleged knife attack targeting an Israeli woman who lives in a settlement in her neighborhood where her family is threatened with eviction.
Thursday's attack comes as Israel's coalition government is divided over the issue of violence committed by Jewish settlers against Palestinians.
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