Middle East latest: At least 6 injured in attack in Israel-occupied West Bank; assailant is killed

At least six people were injured in a shooting attack at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Tuesday morning, according to the Israeli military and area hospitals.

The Israeli military said an attacker fired at soldiers at a checkpoint in the village of Tayasir, which is in the northern West Bank. In a tense exchange, soldiers returned fire and the attacker was killed, the military added.

Israeli hospitals said they had received a total of six people injured in the shooting attack. Israeli media reported the injured are soldiers and at least two of them were critically injured.

Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the attack but neither claimed responsibility for it.

Israel has carried out an extensive operation in nearby Jenin over the past weeks to clamp down on what Israel said is militant activity in the city, as soldiers and armored bulldozers have caused widespread damage and destroyed scores of homes.

Palestinian health officials have not released a total death toll, but say Israeli fire has killed at least 20 Palestinians since the start of the raid.

The West Bank has seen a surge in violence since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of the Gaza Strip ignited the war there.

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Family members of Thai hostages released by Hamas visit them in Israeli hospital

JERUSALEM — Family members of Thai hostages released by Hamas last week after over 15 months of captivity in the Gaza Strip have visited them at the Israeli hospital where they are recuperating.

The Thai Embassy in Israel said the family members flew in on Tuesday and met with the freed hostages at the Shamir Medical Center.

Hamas released five Thai hostages last week along with three Israeli captives who were freed as part of a ceasefire agreement in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas militants kidnapped 31 Thai nationals along with scores of Israelis and a few other foreigners during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that ignited the war.

Tens of thousands of Thai farmers work in Israel, where they can make higher wages than they can at home.

Many lived in compounds on the outskirts of southern Israeli farming communities and towns that were overrun by Hamas-led militants.

During an earlier ceasefire in November 2023, 23 Thai nationals were released in a deal negotiated between Thailand and Hamas, with assistance from Qatar and Iran.

According to Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 46 Thais have been killed during the conflict, including two Thai citizens who were killed on Oct. 7, 2023 and their bodies taken into Gaza.