Israeli forces gather at the scene of a shooting attack near a Jewish settler outpost, near Nablus, in the West Bank, December 16, 2021. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

i24 News – An Israeli man was killed and two others wounded Thursday evening after gunmen reportedly shot a vehicle entering the West Bank settlement of Homesh.

The wounded men were transported to the Rabin Medical Center in central Israel. One succumbed to his injuries, named later by Israeli media as Yehuda Diamantman.

Security forces were dispatched to the scene in search of the suspected assailants, and the West Bank city Nablus was declared as a closed military zone due to Israeli military operations.

Brig. Gen. Abraham (Avi) Bluth said soldiers located the spot where the terrorists laid in ambush. Three infantry battalions and special forces are sweeping the area in search of the suspects.

Following the attack, Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz said: “I would like to express my condolences to the family of the terror victim killed in [the West Bank] this evening, and wish a speedy recovery to those who suffered injuries in the attack.”

“Security forces will catch the perpetrator,” Gantz added.

“We will increase our vigilance and readiness to thwart terror in [the West Bank], and will continue to take any measures necessary in facing terror groups in the area.”

The attack comes amid a rise in West Bank violence, according to security officials. On December 6, a sixteen-year-old was killed after he tried to carry out a ramming attack on Jabara checkpoint, near Tul Karm.

Editor’s note: this article has been updated